POUGHKEEPSIE – Dutchess County Executive
Marcus Molinaro has named a 35-year veteran of county government as acting
mental hygiene commissioner.
Margaret Hirst, a licensed clinical social worker, replaces Dr. Kenneth
Glatt, who retired recently after serving as commissioner for more than
three decades.
The departments of Mental Hygiene and Health are in the process of merging
into one department – the Department of Behavioral and Community
Health, which will provide a more holistic, comprehensive approach to
health and mental hygiene services.
She will serve as acting commissioner until a commissioner is named for
the merged department. A national search for that position is underway.
Since 2013, Hirst served as the department’s division chief for
clinical services, responsible for the clinical and administrative operation
of three formerly separate clinical divisions – mental health, chemical
dependency, and intellectual and developmental disabilities.
