Whatcom County health director who guided community through pandemic has been ousted
Erika Lautenbach, who guided Whatcom County through the COVID-19 pandemic and pivoted to address the fentanyl crisis, rising homelessness and direct funds for new child-care programs, has left her position as head of the Department of Health and Community Services.
Lautenbach’s departure came in a Wednesday announcement from the County Executive’s Office, a week after she was placed on leave for unspecified reasons.
County Executive Satpal Sidhu cited “a need for better alignment with the county’s strategic priorities” in announcing Lautenbach’s departure.
“Last year Executive Sidhu established a new leadership structure in his office, providing increased departmental oversight and a stronger focus on stabilizing the county’s budget and operations. As a result, Executive Sidhu ultimately determined that new leadership is needed for alignment on these priorities,” according to Wednesday’s statement.
In an emailed statement to The Bellingham Herald, Lautenbach said she was surprised to receive a notice of termination from Sidhu on Wednesday.
“I believed our legal teams were negotiating a separation agreement in good faith, and we were still within the lawfully required period of time for my consideration. I have served the county with integrity and have, in all matters, put the health and safety of the public first. I did nothing illegal, unethical or otherwise. The reasons stated for my termination are inaccurate. I have been concerned for some time by the executive’s actions and believe this termination is directly related to these concerns,” Lautenbach told The Herald.
“I intend to fight this wrongful termination and will provide a more complete statement in the coming days,” she said.
Under Whatcom County code, Dr. Amy Harley, the county health officer, becomes interim director of the Department of Health and Community Services. Assistant Director Charlene Ramont will handle the routine administration of the department and its approximately 150 employees, according to Sidhu’s statement.
“The county will initiate a comprehensive recruitment process for a new director in the coming weeks, and more information on that process will be provided soon,” the statement said.
Sidhu praised Lautenbach’s achievements as Health Department director.
“Ms. Lautenbach led WCHCS through the difficult years of the pandemic and oversaw a significant expansion of the department’s services, including the Response Systems Division, Healthy Children’s Fund, fentanyl response plan and severe weather shelters. We are very grateful for these accomplishments and wish her well on her future personal and professional endeavors,” Sidhu said in the statement.
Lautenbach was named director of the Health Department on March 18, 2020, just days before Gov. Jay Inslee’s first “stay-home” order to fight the emerging COVID-19 pandemic.
Working with the Executive’s Office and a special agency called Whatcom Unified Command, Lautenbach helped coordinate the local pandemic response by guiding efforts to obtain protective equipment for health care workers and workers at essential businesses, establishing COVID-19 testing centers and eventually vaccine clinics. As the point person on the pandemic, she was the frequent target of vaccine skeptics and those who criticized pandemic-era government mandates and business restrictions.
As the pandemic eased, Lautenbach’s department turned its focus to homelessness, providing services for mental health treatment and substance abuse, addressing the fentanyl crisis and administering funds from the child care initiative approved by voters in 2022.
Before moving to Whatcom County, Lautenbach was the American Public Health Association and Brookings Institute Congressional Fellow, where she worked for the U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, providing public health expertise and drafting and negotiating legislation, according to her LinkedIn profile and the Whatcom County website.
From 2016 to 2018 Lautenbach was assistant director of the Whatcom County Health Department.
She has a bachelor’s degree in communication and media studies from Michigan State University and a master’s degree in public health from the University of Washington.
This story was originally published March 19, 2025 at 11:42 AM.
