The director of the Tarrant County Public Health Department has resigned
Vinny Taneja, director of the Tarrant County Public Health Department, resigned Tuesday, county officials said in a news release.
Taneja led the health department since 2014.
Deputy County Administrator Tom Stallings will serve as the acting director of the department in Taneja’s absence, and a search will begin immediately for his replacement, according to the news release.
The release, which was three sentences long, did not provide details surrounding Taneja’s decision to resign.
County commissioners were scheduled to discuss Taneja’s position during a closed meeting Tuesday, but did not comment on Taneja’s job or their discussion.
Taneja’s management of the department was reviewed by the county’s Human Resources Department in 2022, after a departing employee reported “pervasive and persistent bullying” and a “toxic work environment.”
HR investigators spoke with 16 current and former employees of the department, all of whom expressed concerns about Tarrant County Public Health’s management during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Taneja “presented a starkly different picture” of the department when he spoke to HR investigators.
Taneja did not respond to a request for comment for this article.
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The public health department is responsible for a range of services for the county’s 2.2 million residents, from inspecting restaurants to make sure they comply with health and safety standards to providing low-cost vaccines.
Do you have more information about public health in Tarrant County? Contact reporter Ciara McCarthy at cmccarthy@star-telegram.com or call or text 817-203-4391.
