W.Va. DHHR Deputy Secretary Fired
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CHARLESTON - Jeremiah Samples, the deputy secretary of the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources and a long-time state healthcare official, was fired Thursday according to multiple sources, though details are scant.
DHHR Secretary Bill Crouch, when reached by phone Friday morning, would not confirm or deny Samples' firing. Only that a statement was forthcoming. Brian Abraham, chief of staff to Gov. Jim Justice, also said by phone he would not confirm or deny, stating that DHHR handles its own personnel issues. DHHR Communications Directors Allison Adler released a statement shortly after.
"Effective April 7, 2022, Jeremiah Samples is no longer employed by the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources," Adler said. "Since this is a personnel issue, we are unable to provide further comment."
A phone call and a message left on Sample’s Facebook page were not returned.
Samples has served as DHHR deputy secretary under Crouch since 2017, serving as the number two in the sprawling state agency that manages more than $7 billion in state and federal funding, nearly 5,000 employees, and is on the frontlines of the state's opioid crisis, the burgeoning foster care system, and the COVID-19 pandemic.
Return to theintelligencer.net later today for more on this developing story.