Top New York State Health Officials Fired En masse as protest against Cuomo

The New York State Deputy Public Health Commissioner resigned in late summer 2020. The director of the Bureau of Infectious Disease Control also resigned shortly thereafter. The medical director for epidemiology did the same. The state's chief epidemiologist said last month that she, too, is stepping down. According to New York TimesAll of these top officials are leaving because of Governor Andrew Cuomo's unwillingness to heed their advice.

According to five people familiar with the situation at the Department of Health, officials are unhappy with the fact that "they are being pushed into the background and treated with disrespect." And they blame Cuomo for all this.

In the midst of the pandemic and vaccinations, Cuomo practically declared war on his own health team, and layoffs are a response to such actions.

It all started when Cuomo refused to use old vaccination plans that the State Health Department had been developing in collaboration with local health authorities over the past several years. Instead, the governor chose an approach that relied on large hospital networks to coordinate vaccinations.

In recent weeks, the governor has repeatedly made it clear that he believes he has no choice but to take the bulk of control over the pandemic control policy from health officials, who he says do not understand how to conduct a real, large-scale operation. by the vaccinated population. After the first problems with unnecessary restrictions, the pace of vaccination has accelerated, and now New York is roughly the 20th among the US states in the percentage of residents who received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.

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“When I say 'experts' while drawing quotes in the air, it sounds like I don't really trust these experts. And it really is - I don't trust them, ”Cuomo said at a January 29 press conference, referring to local New York State health officials.

His comment reflected a conflict between the state's highest elected official and its professional health experts.

Tensions in Albany have escalated in recent months. State health officials said they often learn of major changes in pandemic control policies only after Cuomo announces them at press conferences. After these presentations, they are simply asked to reconcile the recommendations of the Department of Pandemic Control with what Cuomo said.

This is exactly what happened with the vaccination plan when state health officials were stunned by the news that vaccine distribution would be coordinated locally by large hospital networks.

But this was far from the first time. Most pandemic decisions were made by the governor, and the Department of Health simply had to adapt to them. So the fate of the work of restaurant halls, gyms and quantitative restrictions on mass gatherings was decided.

In addition, the leadership of the Department often learned about how the vaccination queue should be built precisely from Cuomo's press conferences, before this policy was not discussed with them.

Dr. Howard Zucker, the state's health commissioner, remains in office and appears with Cuomo at press conferences.

But at least nine top state health officials have stepped down in recent months. These include Elisabeth Dufort, Medical Director of the Epidemiology Division; Dr. Jill Taylor, head of the renowned Wadsworth Laboratory, which plays a central role in the state's efforts to detect the coronavirus; and the manager responsible for collecting data on the health status of the population.

In addition, many have moved from the Department of Health to other government jobs in the state.

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Dr. Zucker said the state is going through "an intense period of extreme stress and pressure."

He added: "The Times notes that a few employees have left - it's true, but many more have joined the agency and have the talent they need to tackle this new challenge." The proof, he says, is "in terms of performance."

Current and former state health officials have agreed to be interviewed about the crisis within the state health department only on condition of anonymity, saying they fear retaliation for speaking out against the governor.

“Morale has definitely been and continues to be at an all-time low,” said one former official.

He noted that during past emergencies, the department had rallied and morale had grown dramatically as officials felt their talent and expertise were valued.

“But the opposite happened during this pandemic,” he said.

As ForumDaily New York wrote earlier:

• New York Attorney General Laetitia James accused Cuomo of lying regarding mortality statistics from COVID-19.