http://www.hss.state.ak.us/publications/DHSS07AR.pdf
Please scroll down to the report by Beverly Wooley, Director Public Health. In it they report about obtaining funds for their Dept. to offer Gardisil. Then I found this little jewel:
"Governor fires Public Health Director
« on: June 05, 2009, 10:57:39 pm »
Today the employees of the Alaska Division of Public Health learned that their Director, Beverly Wooley, was forced to resign, or was fired, by Governor Palin. The Director's position is an appointed position, however, to my knowledge, a Director of Public Health has never before been fired. No one is certain why Bev was fired, however most speculate that it was around differences of opinion about womens' health. Public Health is quite active in issues related to family planning, sexually transmitted diseases, sex education, and other issues that the Governor does not support. Bev, on the other hand, has been a strong advocate for womens' health, both when she was the the Director of the Municipality of Anchorage Department of Health and Human Services, and also in her role as Director of the Alaska Division of Public Health (DPH)."
Reference link:
http://www.themudflats.net/forum/index.php?topic=7402.msg71615#msg71615
And then again this one appropriately reported by a site called "Progressive Alaska":
http://progressivealaska.blogspot.com/2009/06/palin-fires-womens-health-champion.html
Sunday, June 7, 2009
"Palin Fires Women's Health Champion - Public Health Director Beverly Wooley"
Looks to me like there are a lot of progressives in the Alaska DHSS.
Interesting that the Commissioner of the State Health dept., Karleen Jackson resigned on May 8, 2008.
This is her letter:
"It has been an honor to serve alongside each of you as we’ve worked to promote and protect the health and well-being of Alaskans. However, the Governor has accepted my resignation and effective Friday, May 9, Bill Hogan will serve as Acting Commissioner for the Department of Health and Social Services. Thank you for the numerous ways you have improved the health and social services programs in our state. I have no doubt that together you will continue to serve the public with ethics and integrity, promote clear and transparent government, and improve the health of Alaskans. Sincerely, Karleen K. Jackson Ph.D, Commissioner"
Thanks for the info.
I just found this too which provides a reason why Sarah Palin dismissed Beverly Wooly in 2009.
It appears it came down to Beverly Wooly’s difficulty with accepting Sarah Palin’s desire for parental notification and permission before a girl under 17 could get an abortion and then Sarah’s later compromise that she would accept legislation requiring girls under 17 to send a notification only to their parents (not get permission but notify only) before they can get an abortion. Wooly felt parental involvement could cause late term abortions while Sarah Palin at least wanted to require notification to a girl’s parents before a girl under 17 years of age could abort.
From: http://www.adn.com/2009/07/02/852044/health-director-says-she-was-forced.html
Dated July 2, 2009
Excerpts:
One of the state’s top public health officials says she was forced out of office because Gov. Sarah Palin felt she wasn’t in step on social issues.
The key source of tension was legislation that would have required girls under age 17 to get parental consent for an abortion, Wooley said Thursday. The bill, which Palin actively supported, passed the state House but stalled in the Senate.
Wooley said she made it clear to the administration beforehand that she was prepared to articulate the governor’s position: “That the governor supported the full parental consent and notification but that she would compromise.”
The compromise, agreed to by the House sponsor, state Rep. John Coghill, R-North Pole, would require girls to notify their parents before an abortion, but not get permission.
Wooley said she also intended to answer questions from legislators and said she would rely on data, not anyone’s personal beliefs. Whether she personally agreed with the governor is beside the point, Wooley said.
Palin declined to comment Thursday, calling the situation a personnel matter within the Department of Health and Social Services. Bill Hogan, health commissioner, also declined comment, based on advice from the Department of Law.
However, Hogan did talk to the Alaska Budget Report, a capital newsletter. In a story in the June 21 edition, Hogan described Wooley as having difficulty articulating the governor’s position on the abortion measure, as well as teen pregnancy prevention.
“She felt she just couldn’t get up there (in legislative committees) and articulate the governor’s position. ... She asked, ‘Suppose the data or the scientific information says something different — can I say that?’ I said, ‘Yes, but when it comes to saying the governor’s position, you need to say that.’ It just became more and more apparent that she could not get up there and do it.”
Hogan asked Wooley to resign on June 1, saying she wasn’t aligned with the governor on policy questions and also that the department was trying to operate more efficiently by combining her job with Butler’s. He told her it wasn’t performance-based, she said. She refused to resign and was dismissed.
Wooley said her office did get direct criticism from the governor’s office regarding the wording of a press release on teen pregnancy. The governor didn’t like a quote from one of Wooley’s staff so the quote was removed.
Wooley said she never had a policy discussion with Palin on any health topic, and they never met one-on-one.