OMAHA, NE — Douglas County Health Director Dr. Adi Pour has announced her retirement. The director of the largest health department in the state has been leading the way on COVID-19 response in the county and statewide. She has been a strong advocate for the city of Omaha’s mask mandate and has been one of the leaders in the community in the fight against the pandemic.
She will step down at the end of June.
"Every leader should recognize when they should leave and leave it on to the next generation," Dr. Pour said after making her announcement at Wednesday's Board of Health meeting.
Originally from Switzerland, the medical director has been the head of the health department since 2002.
She also serves as an adjunct professor in the College of Public Health at the University of Nebraska Medical Center.
Before taking over at the Douglas County Health Department, Dr. Pour held several positions with the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services in Lincoln, including being the State Toxicologist and the Chief of the Air and Toxic Substances Section of DHHS.
The retirement announcement was made at Wednesday's Board of Health meeting, where the nationwide search for her replacement was also announced.
The department will post the job opening next week, pending approval of the County Board of Directors at their meeting next Tuesday. A committee of community stakeholders will review candidates and select a maximum of four finalists for further consideration.
"There's three steps – one the board of health will approve the candidate, and then the board of commissioner has to, and then the state has to sign off on it," Douglas County Board of Health President Chris Rodgers said.
Two community forums will be held to introduce the finalists to the public.
Omaha Mayor Jean Stothert released the following statement about Pour's retirement:
"Dr. Pour has guided us through the most significant public health crisis in our lifetime with medical expertise and compassion, always putting the health and safety of our community first. She has become a mentor, partner and friend as we work together to navigate the unfamiliar threat of Covid-19. Thank you Dr. Pour for nearly 20 years as the Douglas County Health Director; that is a tremendous commitment to public service. I appreciate your service to our citizens."
