After string of health department controversies, leaders expected to make changes

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Mecklenburg County leaders are expected to make changes Tuesday night as to who will be in charge of the health department.

Tuesday’s meeting follows a string of recent controversies within the department, and commissioners could strip away their own power to oversee the department and hand it over to an independent board of doctors instead.

For the past month, Channel 9 has reported that County Manager Dena Diorio has been criticized for how she's handled several scandals, including test results, confidential patient information and a whistleblower at the health department three years ago.

One of the health technicians at the department emailed her, warning her there was a negative situation. That employee then tried emailing Commissioner Vilma Leake a year later, saying a coworker called black women a derogatory name.

The whistleblower also said there was food in a biohazard cooler with HIV specimens, and that a patient received incorrect test results because of unprofessional behavior.

Some commissioners said Leake and Diorio did not investigate those concerns properly, which is part of the reason they're thinking about giving that responsibility to independent doctors.

Channel 9 will bring you every development from Tuesday night’s meeting on Eyewitness News at 10 p.m. and 11 p.m.

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