Washington, DC, August 10, 2022 — Damon Chaplin, MBA, Public Health Director of the New Bedford Health Department in Massachusetts, has been re-elected to the National Association of County and City Health Officials’ (NACCHO) Board of Directors for a second three-year term. NACCHO is the voice of the country’s nearly 3,000 local health departments. Mr. Chaplin will serve as a Director for Region 1, representing local health departments in CT, MA, ME, NH, RI, and VT. His term began on July 1, 2022.
“NACCHO represents counties, cities, and rural communities across the country in their pursuit of equitable and transformational change at the local level. If we believe in health equity, we must support quality public health services for all residents, regardless of their zip code, social status and/or demographics,” said Mr. Chaplin.
“I am very pleased that Mr. Chaplin’s colleagues around the country have voted him a second term on our board of directors,” said NACCHO Chief Executive Officer Lori Tremmel Freeman. “Mr. Chaplin has a 20-year career with both large and small health departments, and he brings a particularly insightful perspective to NACCHO’s leadership.”
About Mr. Chaplin
Mr. Chaplin is a senior public health administrator with over 20 years of public and private leadership experience. He has experience across the spectrum, including within local and state government, program and policy development, regulatory agencies, as well as for-profit and not-for-profit systems and union environments.
Currently, Mr. Chaplin serves as the Public Health Director for the City of New Bedford. In his previous roles with the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (MDPH), he has served as the Director of Local Public Health Initiatives. Mr. Chaplin also served as Metro Boston Regional Director, where he provided statewide leadership and direction to local health departments interested in applying for accreditation and forming public health districts.
He also designed and managed the program operations for the Massachusetts Large Cities Project, consisting of the state’s 14 largest cities (cities with populations of 70, 000 or greater) -- ranging from Framingham with a population of approximately 70,000 people to Boston with a population of more than 650,000 people.
About NACCHO’s Board of Directors
NACCHO is governed by a 20-member board consisting of local and tribal health officials who are elected by their peers, as well as one ex-officio member representing partner organizations.
As the governing body, NACCHO’s Board of Directors establishes the association’s strategic direction and initiatives, sets the annual legislative agenda, approves official policy statements, ensures that annual goals are met, and provides financial oversight. The Board is NACCHO’s public face and represents members in matters of policy, public health practice, and collaboration with health partners in the public and private sectors.
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About the New Bedford Health Department
The New Bedford Health Department is responsible for promoting the health and well-being of its residents, visitors, and businesses. Its primary program areas include the Public Health Nursing Division, the Environmental Health Division, the Municipal Marine Laboratory, Tobacco, Alcohol and Substance Abuse, and Health and Wellness. To learn more, please visit: https://www.newbedford-ma.gov/health-department/.
About NACCHO
The National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) represents the nation’s nearly 3,000 local governmental health departments. These city, county, metropolitan, district, and tribal departments work every day to protect and promote health and well-being for all people in their communities. For more information about NACCHO, please visit www.naccho.org.
