The Clark County health officer and deputy health officer provide consultation, public health and clinical leadership, and technical direction to Clark County Public Health and three additional Southwest Washington counties: Pacific, Skamania and Wahkiakum.

The health officers have responsibility for controlling and preventing communicable disease, protecting the community from environmental hazards, and working with the medical community to promote health and address chronic diseases such as asthma, diabetes, obesity, and preventable cancers. The health officers also provide oversight in the development of all clinical policies, procedures and standing orders.

Alan Melnick, MD, MPH, CPH

Health officer

Dr. Alan Melnick serves as Clark County health officer and Public Health director, a dual role he assumed in October 2013. He joined Clark County Public Health in 2006 to serve as the county's health officer. He also serves as the health officer for Pacific, Skamania and Wahkiakum counties.

Dr. Melnick is an associate professor at the Oregon Health & Science University-Portland State University (OHSU-PSU) School of Public Health and adjunct associate professor at the OHSU School of Medicine, Department of Family Medicine. He is a member of the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) Board of Directors, a member of the NACCHO Workforce & Leadership Development Workgroup, a member of the Washington State Association of Local Public Health Officials (WSALPHO) Board of Directors and the WSALPHO Health Officers chair.  Within Clark County, he serves on the Clark County Medical Society Board and the PeaceHealth Southwest Medical Center Community Health Board and Executive Committee.

Dr. Melnick attended medical school at Tufts University and received his master’s degree in public health at the University of Washington. He completed residencies in public health and general preventive medicine, and family medicine.