Senate Health and Human Services Committee unanimously advances six nominees to Colorado State Board of Health

The Senate Health and Human Services Committee unanimously advanced six nominees to the Colorado State Board of Health after brief, individual remarks from each candidate and a committee motion to recommend them with a favorable report.

Alex Leach, administrator for the State Board of Health, introduced the nominees and summarized their seats on the board: reconfirmations for Stan Vanderwerf (previous county commissioner) and Dr. Christina Suh (pediatrician), and new members Eric Stiazni (Dolores County commissioner), Megan Hillman (director, Prowers County Department of Public Health), and at‑large members Deborah Fitch and Laura Shunk.

The nominees spoke in turn about their backgrounds and priorities. Stan Vanderwerf described longtime public‑service work and his military research experience, saying he had run “simulations on the operations plans” for military support to civilian authorities during a national influenza pandemic and that the experience informed his public‑health perspective. Megan Hillman said she has been a physician assistant for 25 years in rural Colorado and now directs Prowers County Public Health, emphasizing her interest in using policy to reach community compromise. Eric Stiazni highlighted his roots in Dolores County and said local health systems and education are intertwined in rural areas.

Deborah Fitch described herself as a rancher, restaurateur and USDA food processor who has served on a Medicaid advisory board and worked with Sentura Health on a rural outreach program that flew clinicians into underserved communities. Dr. Christina Suh, a pediatrician, said her clinical work with low‑income families taught her that “health is far more than what happens in the exam room,” pointing to housing instability, food insecurity and limited access to care as drivers of health outcomes; she also noted work in digital health, the biopharmaceutical sector and on youth‑mental‑health efforts. Laura Shunk, appearing online, identified herself as chief operating officer of the Colorado Restaurant Association and said her COVID‑era work focused on negotiating public‑health requirements with businesses to ensure rules could be implemented in practice.

On the motion to recommend the group as a single slate, a committee member moved a favorable recommendation; the chair called the vote and the committee recorded unanimous approval. The transcript records the committee’s unanimous approval and the chair’s statement that the confirmations would be placed on the consent calendar, but it does not attribute individual aye votes to named senators.

The committee concluded its business and was adjourned.

The committee provided no statutory citations during the hearing; the nominees highlighted priorities including rural health capacity, maternal and child health, and behavioral‑health access for youth. The confirmations will appear on the committee’s consent calendar for final consideration.