https://www.americancityandcounty.com/wp-content/themes/acc_child/assets/images/logo/footer-logo.png
  • Home
  • Co-op Solutions
  • Hybrid Work
  • Commentaries
  • News
  • In-Depth
  • Multimedia
    • Back
    • Podcast
    • Latest videos
    • Product Guides
  • Resources & Events
    • Back
    • Resources
    • Webinars
    • White Papers
    • IWCE 2022
    • How to Contribute
    • Municipal Cost Index – Archive
    • Equipment Watch Page
    • American City & County Awards
  • About Us
    • Back
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise
    • Cookie Policy
    • Privacy Statement
    • Terms of Service
American City and County
  • NEWSLETTER
  • Home
  • Co-op Solutions
  • Hybrid Work
  • Commentaries
  • News
  • In-Depth
  • Multimedia
    • Back
    • Podcasts
    • Latest videos
    • Product Guides
  • Resources/Events
    • Back
    • Webinars
    • White Papers/eBooks
    • IWCE Expo
    • Calendar of Events
    • How to Contribute
    • American City & County Awards
    • Municipal Cost Index
    • Equipment Watch Page
  • About Us
    • Back
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise
    • Cookie Policy
    • Privacy Stament
    • Terms of Service
  • newsletter
  • Administration
  • Economy & Finance
  • Procurement
  • Public Safety
  • Public Works & Utilities
  • Smart Cities & Technology
  • Magazine
acc.com

Administration


Image via Unsplash

Article

Numerous local public health officials resigning amid pandemic

Numerous local public health officials resigning amid pandemic

  • Written by Jason Axelrod
  • 26th August 2020

Local and state public health officials are leaving their posts as the coronavirus pandemic drags on and continues to be politicized.

At least 49 local and state public health leaders across 23 states have either resigned, retired or been fired from their posts since April, according to an Associated Press and Kaiser Health News (KHN) report.

In one of the latest instances of these departures, New York City’s health commissioner was fired after clashing with the New York Police Department and New York City Hall, the AP reports.

The departures come as confirmed infections and deaths in the U.S. surpass 5 million and 163,000 respectively, the AP reports.

“We’re moving at breakneck speed here to stop a pandemic, and you can’t afford to hit the pause button and say, ‘We’re going to change the leadership around here and we’ll get back to you after we hire somebody,’” Lori Tremmel Freeman, CEO of the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO), told the AP.

Some officials have stepped down due to disagreements with other local officials. Fishers, Ind. Health Department Epidemiologist Eileen White resigned in August after Fishers Mayor Scott Fadness was urging schools to open before infections were controlled in the area, The Hill reports.

Others have encountered personal backlash from residents due to actions they have taken to combat the virus’s spread. Former Orange County, Calif., Chief Health Officer Nichole Quick resigned in June amid threats and protests at her home due to a mask mandate, the Washington Post reports.

Still others have been let go from their posts due to friction with other officials. Emily Brown was fired from her job as director of the Rio Grande County (Colo.) Public Health Department as she clashed with county commissioners over loosening restrictions made due to the pandemic, the AP reports. “They finally were tired of me not going along the line they wanted me to go along,” she told the AP.

However, Brown’s replacement resigned on July 9, according to the AP.

“To see this kind of really widespread resignations from critical roles at a time of great importance for our country ought to be a source for everyone to be concerned,” National Institutes of Health Director Francis Collins told The Hill.

 

“I am very troubled to see that kind of turnover,” Collins added.

Tags: Administration News Administration News Article

Most Recent


  • Mental health
    Survey from U.S. Conference of Mayors details mental health crisis faced by cities
    Exacerbated by the pandemic, mental health has become a key mayoral issue over the last several years. A new survey published recently by the U.S. Conference of Mayors (USMC) describes these challenges in detail.  “Mayors are sounding the alarm on the mental health crisis in the U.S.,” said Hillary Schieve, mayor of Reno, Nev., incoming […]
  • Green energy
    USDA announces $11B in green energy grants for rural utilities
    The ongoing shift to green energy doesn’t just reduce pollution and cost, it also provides job opportunities—an especially welcome boon for rural and post-industrial communities that have been left behind by digitization. But the upfront cost of installing solar arrays and wind turbines is prohibitive for cities and counties that don’t have a large taxbase. […]
  • cybersecurity
    State and Local Cybersecurity Grant Program: Where local governments must allocate funds to support the future of cybersecurity
    This past February, the Department of Homeland Security’s State and Local Cybersecurity Grant Program began to distribute funds to states with approved cybersecurity plans. For budget and resource strapped state, local and territorial governments (STLGs), these grants enable crucial cybersecurity investments to protect our nation from unprecedented cybersecurity risks and help bridge the gap between […]
  • commuter rail
    Boston's commuter rail system is outdated and needs an overhaul, according to advocacy report
    Boston, Mass. has the second-worst commuter traffic congestion in the nation, according to the analytics firm Inrix. It’s only getting worse, given the region’s outdated and failing commuter rail system, locally known as the T. And while addressing the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority’s failing transit system is an immediate crisis, it’s also an opportunity to […]

Leave a comment Cancel reply

-or-

Log in with your American City and County account

Alternatively, post a comment by completing the form below:

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Related Content

  • Lessons from your friendly neighborhood public service employees
  • Harris County deploys next-generation security in 150 public buildings
  • How local governments can get ahead of the infrastructure wave: Strategies to mitigate risk
  • Prioritizing rapid restore leads to stronger ransomware attack recovery

White papers


5 reasons why Plan Examiners need Objective Trapeze

30th May 2023

7 Permitting & Licensing Fails Slowing Community Growth

24th May 2023

The Secret Ingredient to Local Government Employee Retention

23rd May 2023
view all

Webinars


How to Centralize and Build a Grants Management Process at your Organization

24th May 2023

Making Permitting Easier: What We’ve Learned Helping America’s Largest Cities Improve Their Permitting Process

16th May 2023

Digital Property Tax Collection: Tales from the Trenches of Modernization

16th May 2023
view all

PODCAST


Young Leaders Episode 4 – Cyril Jefferson – City Councilman, High Point, North Carolina

13th October 2020

Young Leaders Episode 3 – Shannon Hardin – City Council President, Columbus, Ohio

27th July 2020

Young Leaders Episode 2 – Christian Williams – Development Services Planner, Goodyear, Ariz.

1st July 2020
view all

GALLERIES


10 best suburbs for city-like living

1st June 2023

Gallery: Annual index ranks America’s top performing cities; most are in the West

30th May 2023

Gallery: Top 10 American cities for seasonal and summer jobs

25th May 2023
view all

Twitter


Newsletters

Sign up for American City & County’s newsletters to receive regular news and information updates about local governments.

Resale Insights Dashboard

The Resale Insights Dashboard provides model-level data for the entire used equipment market to help you save time and money.

Municipal Cost Index

Updated monthly since 1978, our exclusive Municipal Cost Index shows the effects of inflation on the cost of providing municipal services

Media Kit and Advertising

Want to reach our digital audience? Learn more here.

DISCOVER MORE FROM INFORMA TECH

  • IWCE’s Urgent Communications
  • IWCE Expo

WORKING WITH US

  • About Us
  • Contact Us

FOLLOW American City and County ON SOCIAL

  • Privacy
  • CCPA: “Do Not Sell My Data”
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms
Copyright © 2023 Informa PLC. Informa PLC is registered in England and Wales with company number 8860726 whose registered and Head office is 5 Howick Place, London, SW1P 1WG.