HEALTH

Navajo Health Executive to serve on Biden COVID-19 Advisory Board

UPDATED: NOVEMBER 28, 2020 AT 10:54 PM

Undated Photo of Navajo Nation Department of Health Exec. Director, Dr. Jill Jim. Jim has been selected to serve on the Biden-Harris COVID-19 Advisory Board. Photo credit: Facebook

BY SIMONE SEIKALY
Digital Content Producer

WINDOW ROCK, AZ — President-elect Joe Biden has selected Navajo Department of Health Executive Director, Dr. Jill Jim, to serve on the Biden-Harris COVID-19 Advisory Board.

Dr. Jim is a member of the Navajo Nation, and has served as a cabinet member for the Nation’s Nez-Lizer Administration.

“Dr. Jim’s extensive public health experience and expertise [have] been a major benefit for the Navajo Nation throughout the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez in a statement.

“And now she will serve on a much broader level to help fight this modern-day monster throughout the country.”

RELATED: Navajo eligible to apply for CARES Act pandemic assistance

Nez reportedly recommended Dr. Jim to be appointed to the President-elect’s COVID-19 Advisory Board.

“Our Nation’s COVID-19 preventative measures and restrictions put forth by our public health experts have served as a model for other states and entities across the country,” Nez said. “I congratulate her and thank her for her dedication and commitment to helping our Navajo people.”

Jim has led the Navajo Department of Health since January 2019, when she was appointed to serve by President Nez and Vice President Myron Lizer. She received her Doctorate in Public Health from the University of Utah.

Dr. Jim is originally from Navajo Mountain, Utah.

“I am proud to serve as a member of the Biden-Harris Transition COVID-19 Advisory Board,” said Jim in a statement. “I look forward to working with fellow members of the advisory board to help prepare an urgent, robust, and professional response to the global public health crisis, for President-elect Biden to lead with on day one.”

The Biden-Harris COVID-19 Advisory Board is chaired by former Food and Drug Administration commissioner Dr. David Kessler, former Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy and Yale University Dean Dr. Marcella Nunez-Smith, a professor of internal medicine and a health equity researcher.

How To Prevent the Spread of COVID-19 Coronavirus

COVID-19 coronavirus spreads person to person, similar to the common cold and the flu. So, to prevent it from spreading:

Wash hands frequently and thoroughly, with soap and water, for at least 20 seconds.
Don’t touch your face.
Wear a mask to protect yourself and others per CDC recommendations.
Keep children and those with compromised immune systems away from someone who is coughing or sneezing (in this instance, at least six feet).
If there is an outbreak near you, practice social distancing (stay at home, instead of going to the movies, sports events, or other activities).
Get a flu shot.