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Proclamation recognizing Dr. Karen Hacker for her years of service as Director of the Allegheny County Health Department.
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WHEREAS, since her appointment in 2013, Dr. Karen Hacker, MD, MPH has positively affected the lives of many Allegheny County residents as Director of the Allegheny County Health Department (ACHD); and
WHEREAS, Dr. Karen Hacker received her undergraduate degree from Yale University, obtained her Medical Degree from Northwestern University, and her Masters in Public Health from Boston University. While in Boston, Dr. Karen Hacker completed her residency in Internal Medicine at Boston City Hospital. She went on to complete her Adolescent Medicine Fellowship at the Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles, CA.; and
WHEREAS, Dr. Karen Hacker served as the executive director of the Institute for Community Health, and the Senior Medical Director for Public and Community Health at the Cambridge Health Alliance, and as an associate professor at Harvard Medical School and School of Public Health; and
WHEREAS, concurrent to her position as the ACHD Director, Dr. Karen Hacker served as an Adjunct Professor at the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public School of Health in the departments of Health Policy and Management, and Behavioral and Community Health Sciences. She also served as a clinical professor at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, where she instructed students with her extensive knowledge in the field of health and medicine; and
WHEREAS, Dr. Karen Hacker focused her extensive research on community-based needs creating policies on mental health for children, immigrant health, and adolescent risk. She has worked as a primary care physician, and health care administrator in addition to being a public health leader; and
WHEREAS, Dr. Karen Hacker joined the Allegheny County Health Department as Director in 2013. While rebuilding the infrastructure of the department, she has boosted efforts to eliminate tobacco products in municipalities, schools, and restaurants in order to improve the health of residents as part of the Live Well Allegheny Program, a program that encourages residents to pursue a healthy lifestyle and provides helpful resources; and
WHEREAS, in Dr. Karen Hacker’s determination to make progress in the health of Allegheny County residents, she conducted Allegheny County Health Department’s first Community Health Assessment.
WHEREAS, by identifying over 1,000 cases of lead poisoning in infants and toddlers, Dr. Karen Hacker brought awareness to the havoc that lead poisoning inflicts upon our society, families, and environment; and
WHEREAS, Dr. Karen Hacker is the author of the book entitled Community Based Participatory Research (CBPR) and has co-written multiple publications such as Impact of Electronic Health Record Transition on Behavioral Health Screening, and Provider Perspectives on Electronic Decision Supports for Obesity Prevention; and
WHEREAS, in 2018, Dr. Karen Hacker received the Seeds of Hope Award from POWER Recovery due to her efforts in the fight against the opioid epidemic. Dr. Karen Hacker pushed for the availability of Narcan to save lives, taking action so that anyone could purchase Narcan at a pharmacy in Allegheny County without a prescription. Five months later, Governor Tom Wolf issued a similar order for Pennsylvania. Thanks to the ACHD and Dr. Hacker’s efforts, the number of fatal overdoses in Allegheny County have fallen by 40%; and
WHEREAS, Dr. Karen Hacker recognized an increase in respiratory issues as a result of the emissions from the Clairton Coke Works Plant and took measures to increase the severity of fines for uncontrolled pollution released by the company. She increased funding in the legal team of ACHD implementing a stronger stance facing air quality polluters. Additionally, she targeted efforts to combat Pittsburgh’s childhood asthma epidemic by assembling an asthma task force, whose mission is to reduce and prevent asthma through advocacy, legislative action, and citywide strategies; and
WHEREAS, under the skillful direction of Dr. Karen Hacker, the Allegheny County Health Department has received National Accreditation status twice, helping the ACHD to secure much needed grant money to expand its ability to assist the residents of Allegheny County; and
WHEREAS, Dr. Karen Hacker’s efforts have built a strong platform for her successor.
NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that we, Allegheny County Council Members John Palmiere, Sue Means and All Members of Council do hereby recognize Dr. Karen Hacker for her years of service as Director of the Allegheny County Health Department and we wish her all the best in her future role as Director of the National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion for the Center for Disease Control.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto caused the Seal of the County of Allegheny to be affixed this 10th day of September 2019.