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.”