Home » News » Oxiris Barbot, New York City Commissioner of Health, resigns – Telemundo New York (47)

Oxiris Barbot, New York City Commissioner of Health, resigns – Telemundo New York (47)

New York City Commissioner of Health Oxiris Barbot has stepped down, according to our sister network News 4.

In his resignation letter, obtained by News 4 on Tuesday, Barbot praised the city’s Department of Health, saying it was an honor to serve in his role.

“My commitment to this city and to public health is unwavering. I am proud of the accomplishments we have accomplished as an agency in recent years, including using a lens of racial equity to focus communities on what we do, taking advantage of our public health data and actions to address structural inequalities and unite public health and health service delivery so that all of our communities have an equal opportunity to be healthy and prosper, “reads Barbot’s letter of resignation in part.

“It has been an honor and a privilege to serve as the head of an agency with a long and distinguished history in promoting and protecting the health of New Yorkers in ordinary times and during some of the most challenging times in the history of our city. I am Proud as a woman of color raised in public housing in this city, I have always put public health, racial equity, and well-being first in the city I love. That commitment continues within the agency and I am confident that it will continue. serving everyone with dignity, integrity and courage for the benefit of all New Yorkers, “his letter said.

Mayor Bill de Blasio appointed Dr. Dave A. Chokshi as Commissioner of the City’s Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.

Chokshi has worked at the highest level for local, state, and federal health agencies, including NYC Health + Hospitals, where he held leadership positions for the past six years. As Director of Population Health, Dr. Chokshi’s team transformed health services for more than one million New Yorkers. Most recently, he served as a key leader in the city’s COVID-19 response.

“Dr. Chokshi has spent his career fighting for those who are too often left behind,” de Blasio said in a statement. “It has never been truer than during the COVID-19 pandemic, where it has helped lead our city’s public health system in unprecedented challenges. I know you are ready to lead the charge in our fight for a fairer and more just city. healthy for everyone. “

Council member Mark Levine released a statement via his Twitter soon after the news of Barbot’s resignation.

Levine called Barbot’s resignation “a hard blow to the fight for public health here in New York.”

Although the reason for her resignation is unclear, Barbot faced criticism during the height of the pandemic a few months ago when police unions demanded that she resign or be fired after she reportedly emphatically rejected when police in the New York City searched for more masks for its officers. Barbot issued an apology to the NYPD in May.

In late March, Barbot had a phone call with Department Head Terence Monahan about additional PPE for the police, as the department searched for 500,000 masks. Barbot insisted that only 50,000 would be available, and said flatly: “I don’t give a damn about two rats their cops,” the New York Post reported for the first time. Two officials familiar with the situation confirmed to NBC New York that Barbot made the comments.

Barbot, in his statement after the revelations of the conversation, acknowledged a “discussion” in mid-March with a police officer.

“I apologized to that police officer at the time and today, I apologize to the New York police for leaving any impression that I do not have the utmost respect for our police department, which plays a critical role on the front line every days to keep our city safe. “

The New York Department of Health previously confirmed a “heated exchange,” but said there was a “good working relationship” between Barbot and Monahan, adding that the commissioner apologized for her comments. A city source also told NBC New York back then that Barbot, who was appointed to the post in 2018, had apologized.

Mayor Bill De Blasio later said he expected Barbot “to do a good and important job,” although she had been notably absent from the mayor’s daily public meetings for a few days after the controversy.

“We are going to move forward together,” the mayor said previously, adding that he has “a lot of respect for Barbot” and that she would remain in her role as leader of the health department.

Prior to her role as commissioner, Barbot served as first deputy commissioner and oversaw the development and implementation of the agency’s priorities, including Take Care New York 2020 (# TCNY2020), which focuses on addressing the social determinants of health. and involve communities in health equity issues.

Barbot has more than 25 years of experience advancing health equity and providing health care in urban communities. She previously served as the Baltimore City Commissioner of Health, where she led the development of Healthy Baltimore 2015, a health policy program focused on improving health outcomes by focusing on areas where the greatest impact could be achieved to improve quality of life. She also served as medical director of the New York Department of Health and Mental Hygiene Office of School Health and the New York Department of Education.

Before working in New York, Barbot was chief of pediatrics and community medicine at Unity Health Care, Inc., a health center in Washington, DC.

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