KHI NEWS SERVICE
TOPEKA, Aug. 22
The Kansas Department of Health and Environment has hired a director of the Kansas Tobacco Use Prevention Program.
Clarence Cryer Jr. will be responsible for statewide tobacco program policies, goals and objectives; managing 13 tobacco-prevention workers across the state and overseeing the distribution and management of local tobacco-prevention grants in 44 counties.
Before joining KDHE, Cryer lived in Florida, where he served as director of community health services for the Volusia County Health Department. He administered federal, state and local programs and services addressing chronic disease, school health, HIV and AIDS, sexually transmitted diseases, tuberculosis, epidemiology, WIC and nutrition services, adult immunizations and Healthy Start. He worked briefly with Dr. Howard Rodenberg, Kansas State Health Officer.
Cryer
also worked as the health center administrator for the Hillsborough (Fla.) County Health Department; the director of community health promotion and health education for the Economic Opportunity Family Health Center, Inc.; and as an HIV/AIDS education supervisor for the Miami-Dade County Health Department.
“We are excited to have a new director of the Tobacco Use Prevention Program who has such a breadth of experience in chronic disease prevention,” said Paula Marmet, director of the KDHE Office of Health Promotion. “Tobacco use is a leading contributor to many chronic diseases including cancer, heart disease and stroke.”
Cryer will replace Julia Francisco, who retired as the program”s director in February.