DHH Secretary Bruce D. Greenstein Appoints J.T. Lane Assistant Secretary for the Office of Public Health

Monday, March 19, 2012  |  Contact: Meghan Speakes; (225) 342-1463 or (225) 241-0836 (cell)

BATON ROUGE - Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals Secretary Bruce D. Greenstein announced today that J.T. Lane has been named Assistant Secretary for the Office of Public Health.

Lane has served as Interim Assistant Secretary for the Office of Public Health since October 2011. He was previously DHH Chief of Staff and Deputy Chief of Staff. Prior to joining the Department of Health and Hospitals in 2008, Lane served in public advocacy, education and management roles with the Louisiana Family Recovery Corps, which oversaw social services and supports restoration in South Louisiana after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, and with LSU's Office of Research and Economic Development.

"J.T. has brought an incredible energy and commitment to innovation to the Office of Public Health," Greenstein said.  "In this role, he is charged with modernizing public health; moving Louisiana up in national health rankings; and helping the Office of Public Health to become a high performance government agency. I am confident in his ability to succeed."

With a budget that exceeds $300 million and a team of 1,300 employees, the Office of Public Health is Louisiana's primary agency concerned with protecting health and promoting healthy lifestyles of the entire statewide community. The Office of Public Health has the responsibility for providing services, programs and policy oversight in personal health services, infectious disease surveillance and prevention, restaurant and food safety, public facility plan and review, emergency medical services and preparedness, safe drinking water and vital records, including birth, marriage and death certificates.

Mr. Lane has also served as a consultant and in full-time business development roles for a variety of organizations, including Fortune 500s, internet technology start-ups, nonprofits and government organizations across the country, and he is a graduate of Louisiana State University. His appointment is effective immediately.

The Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals strives to protect and promote health statewide and to ensure access to medical, preventive and rehabilitative services for all state citizens. To learn more about DHH, visit http://www.dhh.louisiana.gov/. For up-to-date health information, news and emergency updates, follow DHH's blog, Twitter account and Facebook.