ATLANTA – The Georgia Board of Dentistry and the Georgia Board of Pharmacy have been moved to the Georgia Department of Community Health (DCH), effective July 1, 2013. The move is the result of HB132, which passed the Georgia General Assembly in its 2013 session.

Tanja Battle has been named Executive Director for each board.

“The boards will maintain their autonomy with this organizational shift to DCH,” Battle said. “The move represents a natural health care alignment with DCH and increases our administrative efficiencies. Our focus will continue to be to provide excellent customer service to our dentistry and pharmacy licensees and facilities across Georgia.”

With more than 20 years of public service experience, Battle is the former Deputy Director for the Professional Licensing Boards Division of the state, serving in the Georgia Secretary of State’s office. During her tenure there, she was instrumental in establishing a new professional licensing board for residential and general contracting.

She began her career in Macon with the Georgia Department of Human Services after her graduation from Mercer University. She then spent two years with the Hawaii Department of Human Resources before returning to Macon as the Executive Director of Big Brothers Big Sisters. There, she doubled the agency’s staff and budget and secured the organization’s reinstatement as a United Way agency in Middle Georgia.

Both boards have new websites:

Georgia Board of Dentistry – http://gbd.georgia.gov/

Georgia Board of Pharmacy – http://gbp.georgia.gov/

The Georgia Board of Dentistry licenses more than 13,000 dentists, dental hygienists and anesthetists in the state. The Georgia Board of Pharmacy licenses more than 44,000 pharmacies, pharmacists, pharmacy technicians and wholesale distributors in Georgia.

About the Georgia Department of Community Health

Through effective planning, purchasing and oversight, the Georgia Department of Community Health (DCH) provides access to affordable, quality health care to millions of Georgians, including some of the state’s uninsured and most vulnerable populations.

DCH is responsible for Medicaid and PeachCare for Kids,® the State Health Benefit Plan, Healthcare Facility Regulation and Health Information Technology in Georgia.

Clyde L. Reese III serves as Commissioner for the Georgia Department of Community Health.

To learn more about DCH and its dedication to A Healthy Georgia, visit www.dch.georgia.gov.

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