ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) - Gov. Mark Dayton has named former Health Commissioner Jan Malcolm to again lead the agency, after the previous head resigned following problems in handling complaints of abuse in senior care centers.
Malcolm held the job under Gov. Jesse Ventura from 1999 to 2003. Dayton cited her experience in that job and as a nonprofit health executive and public health expert in announcing the appointment Tuesday.
She succeeds Ed Ehlinger in running a 1,400-person agency that leads the state’s public health efforts.
Ehlinger stepped down after the Minneapolis Star Tribune reported on oversight lapses in senior care facilities.
A task force convened by Dayton recommended changes including tougher criminal sanctions against abusers, greater access to state investigations for abuse victims and their families and increased oversight of the industry.
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