DHS Deputy Secretary Willems Van Dijk to retire

Department of Health Services Deputy Secretary Julie Willems Van Dijk, who has played a critical role in the state’s COVID-19 response, will retire Sept. 10.

Willems Van Dijk said in a Friday statement that it was an honor to serve as deputy secretary and that she was especially proud of how DHS staff and state employees came together to respond to the pandemic.

“After nearly 40 years of service as a nurse and public health leader, it is time that I recommit to the needs of my family,” she said.

Before joining DHS, Willems Van Dijk was the director of County Health Rankings & Roadmaps, a collaboration between the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. She previously served as Marathon County Public Health Officer.

Deb Standridge, who was CEO of the state’s alternate care facility at State Fair Park, will take on the deputy secretary role. A total of 170 patients received care at the facility, which was decommissioned earlier this year.

Standridge has spent her career working in health systems, most recently as a regional president for Ascension Wisconsin. She’ll begin as deputy secretary the week of Sept. 13.

This article first appeared in the Wisconsin Health News daily email newsletter. Sign up for your free trial here.