GOSHEN – Orange County Executive Steven Neuhaus has appointed a new county health commissioner. Dr. Alicia Pointer replaces Dr. Irina Gelman, who resigned to assume the same position in Nassau County.
Dr. Pointer’s appointment is subject to approval by the State Department of Health and the county legislature.
Previously, she served as chief of pediatrics at Cornerstone Family Healthcare in Newburgh from 2016 to 2022. During her tenure there, working with the county’s Department of Social Services, she created a pediatric medical home for all children in foster care living in Orange County.
She is also involved with the Orange County Parenting Coalition.
Prior to working at Cornerstone, Dr. Pointer practiced at the Middletown Community Health Center, now part of Cornerstone, and the Caring Health Center in Springfield, MA.
While at the Caring Health Center, she started the “Fit Kids” Weight Clinic, the practice’s first pediatric multidisciplinary clinic.
Dr. Pointer received her doctorate in medicine in addition to a master’s degree in public health from the University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine in 2010.
Neuhaus called Pointer “the right choice at the right time to lead the county’s health department.”
“Now more than ever, we understand the importance of public health and I look forward to bringing my experience in patient care to ensure that Orange County’s residents are as healthy as possible,” Dr. Pointer said.
