Following an investigation, Multnomah County has fired the leader of its large network of community health clinics. That leader, Anirudh Padmala, tells WW he is being made a “scapegoat” in a “power struggle” after having endured months of harassment.
Padmala has spent the past year as interim executive director of the Multnomah County Community Health Center, the state’s largest Federally Qualified Health Center. His departure marks a worsening tumult among top leaders overseeing the network of 19 federally funded Portland-area clinics, which collectively serve tens of thousands of residents annually.
A Multnomah County spokesperson said Monday was Padmala’s last day as a county employee. The spokesperson says Padmala was “the subject of an investigation before his dismissal,” and that he has been on paid administrative leave since May 28…