Cline tapped as Governor Brad Henry's health secretary

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) _ Gov. Brad Henry on Thursday picked Terry Cline, Oklahoma's top mental health professional, to be his secretary of health. <br/><br/>Cline replaces Tom Adelson, who has resigned

Thursday, May 27th 2004, 5:35 pm

By: News On 6

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) _ Gov. Brad Henry on Thursday picked Terry Cline, Oklahoma's top mental health professional, to be his secretary of health.

Cline replaces Tom Adelson, who has resigned to run for the state Senate.

Cline has been commissioner of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services since January, 2001.

``Terry Cline is a consummate professional who is widely recognized and respected in the health care community,'' Henry said. ``He's done a great job in the mental health field and will be a great addition to my cabinet.''

He also had praise for Adelson. ``As the chief architect of my health care initiative, Tom deserves special recognition for his efforts to improve the health of his fellow Oklahomans.''

Cline will continue in his post as head of the state mental health agency.

An Ardmore native, Cline holds a bachelors degree from the University of Oklahoma and a masters degree and doctorate in clinical psychology from Oklahoma State University.

He previously was with mental health organizations in Washington, D.C., and Massachusetts. He also was a clinical instructor in the Department of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and was chairman of the governing board for a Harvard teaching hospital in Cambridge, Mass.