The chief medical officer at New Hampshire Hospital is planning to step down at the beginning of 2017, New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services Commissioner Jeffrey Meyers announced Monday afternoon.
Dr. David Folks, who also works for Dartmouth-Hitchcock, has been the top doctor at the state psychiatric hospital for the last eight years. The state did not immediately indicate why Folks was leaving.
Dartmouth-Hitchcock recently announced plans to lay off hundreds of workers because of projected budget shortfalls, just days after it entered into a $36million contract to take over psychiatric care at the state hospital.
In a statement, Meyers said Dartmouth-Hitchcock will "immediately" start working to find replacement for Dr. Folks before he steps aside in January.
"The Department and NH Hospital leadership will work closely with Dartmouth-Hitchcock on a transition plan to ensure that Dr. Folks’ departure does not impact the high-quality services NH Hospital patients receive and that a new Chief Medical Officer is in place at NH Hospital prior to Dr. Folks’ departure," Meyers said.
