Gov. Brian Kemp named Dr. Dean Burke Monday commissioner of the Georgia Department of Community Health.

Burke, 67, a former state senator now serving as the state agency’s chief medical officer, will take up his new role on Aug. 1.

Before serving in the Georgia Senate for a decade representing a district in Southwest Georgia, Burke worked as chief medical officer at Memorial Hospital and Manor in Bainbridge. He also served as a member of the Hospital Authority of the City of Bainbridge and Decatur County and practiced obstetrics and gynecology for 27 years.

“Given his extensive background in medicine and health-care policy, he is uniquely qualified to fill this role at a pivotal time for this important agency,” Kemp said. “I’m confident he will demonstrate that same level of commitment as commissioner that he has shown throughout his many years of public service.”

Before entering state politics, Burke was a member of the Bainbridge City Council for five years. He was elected to the state Senate in 2012.

Burke will succeed current DCH Commissioner Russel Carlson, who is leaving state government for a position in the private sector.

How to Read and Understand the News

Truth doesn’t bend because we dislike it.
Facts don’t vanish when they make us uncomfortable.
Events happen whether we accept them or not.

Good reporting challenges us. The press isn’t choosing sides — it’s relaying what official, verified sources say. Blaming reporters for bad news is like blaming a thermometer for a fever.

Americans have a history of misunderstanding simple things. In the 1980s, A&W rolled out a 1/3-pound burger to compete with McDonald’s Quarter Pounder. It failed because too many people thought 1/3 was smaller than 1/4. If we can botch basic math, we can certainly misread the news.

Before dismissing a story, ask yourself:

  • What evidence backs this?
  • Am I reacting to facts or feelings?
  • What would change my mind?
  • Am I just shooting the messenger?

And one more: Am I assuming bias just because I don’t like the story?

Smart news consumers seek truth, not comfort.

Dave Williams | Capitol Beat News Service

Dave Williams is the Bureau Chief for Capitol Beat News Service. He is a veteran reporter who has reported on Georgia state government and politics since 1999. Before that, he covered Georgia’s congressional delegation in Washington, D.C.