EL PASO, Texas (KFOX14/CBS4) — It’s been nearly two months since El Paso’s new public health director stepped into his new role. In an interview with KFOX14, he talked about his transition, the city’s priorities and addressed allegations from former employees.

Dr. Veerinder Taneja was appointed El Paso’s health director in June. The city has appointed Dr. who has been serving on an interim basis since 2022. It was under the management of Hector Ocaranza.

Dr. Taneja’s appointment sparked some controversy when it was revealed that at least 16 employees in Tarrant County, Fort Worth, Texas, had made allegations that he created a toxic and hostile work environment.

“A lot of these have been investigated by HR. You know, they’re usually general complaints like, ‘Oh, the environment isn’t good,’ and so forth,” Taneja said. “Nothing came of these investigations, even the HR report said ‘there were no rules violated.'”

Dr. Taneja said he feels he has successfully managed disease outbreaks in Tarrant County, including Zika, Ebola and COVID-19.

He remained in Fort Worth for nine and a half years, then resigned.

“It was during COVID times, so there was a lot of unhappiness in public health in general due to stress,” he said. “You know, change was needed in a lot of places after COVID, and here we are.”

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Taneja said he is ready to move forward in El Paso and tackle health issues in the community.

“Like many other places, chronic diseases such as obesity, diabetes and blood pressure are on the rise,” Taneja said.

“So I want to make sure I support my team with training and technology. All the tools they need to deliver these great services to our community,” Taneja said.

A border town like El Paso presents a unique challenge, he said.

“The border town role is a first for me, I am learning a lot about the culture and how everything is intertwined. Most places are highly jurisdictional, but El Paso is a large community and unique,” ​​Taneja said.

He focuses on vaccines, saying that one of the reasons why some diseases re-emerge after years is the decrease in the number of vaccines.

Currently, the city is working to deliver thousands of vaccines to the community free of charge through the Be POWERflu campaign.

RELATING TO:El Paso’s new health director faces scrutiny over past toxic work environment allegations

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