Mayor Wu has appointed Stan McLaren, the former president of the shuttered Carney Hospital, to an open seat on the Boston Board of Health, according to a statement from her office last Friday. The appointment comes as Dr. Elsie Taveras moves into the role of chairperson for the board, which advises the Boston Public Health Commission.  Members of the board are not paid for their service.

“I’m very excited to see Dr. Taveras take on the duties of chairperson of the Board of Health, and I’m confident she’ll continue her work to make Boston a safe and healthy home for everyone,” said Wu. “I’m also proud to appoint Stan McLaren to the Board of Health. I believe his experiences working with Boston’s most vulnerable residents give him great perspective for this role.”   

Taveras, a pediatrician, is the Chief Community Health and Equity Officer and Executive Director of the Kraft Center for Community Health at Mass General Brigham. McLaren, a Dorchester resident, currently serves as the CEO of Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program.

McLaren has been serving as an appointed member of the Carney Working Group, a 33-member board asked to review the impact of the Carney Hospital and offer recommendations for what should happen next. Their report, which was expected by early March, has not yet been finalized.

McLaren was the president of the Carney Hospital when it was abruptly closed last August amid a bankruptcy case involving Carney’s parent company, Steward Health Care System.