Abrupt terminations at the Mississippi Department of Health earlier this month removed the directors of about a dozen preventive health programs from their posts, according to staff members who were laid off.

The layoffs included roughly 20 people in the Offices of Preventive Health and Health Disparities, many of whom were program leaders. Some worked at the health department for nearly two decades.

Terminated directors included those responsible for leading chronic disease prevention, diabetes, cardiovascular health, cancer, school health, tobacco control, injury and violence prevention, heart disease and stroke prevention, and oral health programs, among others.

Mississippi has one of the highest rates of preventable diseases in the country, including heart disease, hypertension, obe

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