NYC Health Commissioner Dr. Oxiris Barbot resigns
New York City’s embattled Health Commissioner Dr. Oxiris Barbot — who drew ire for telling an NYPD boss she didn’t “give two rats’ asses” about his cops during the height of the coronavirus pandemic — resigned from her post Tuesday. Barbot submitted her resignation letter to City Hall Tuesday morning, she said in an email to her Department of Health colleagues and obtained by The Post. She does not say why she’s stepping down. “It has been an honor and privilege to serve at the helm of an agency with its long and distinguished history in promoting and protecting New Yorkers’ health through ordinary times and during some of the most challenging moments in our city’s history,” Barbot wrote.
In a press release, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Dr. Dave Chokshi, a top official at NYC Health + Hospitals, as her replacement. Barbot has served as health commissioner since December 2018. She came under fire mid-coronavirus pandemic for telling NYPD Chief of Department Terence Monahan “I don’t give two rats’ asses about your cops” while blowing off an NYPD request for 500,000 face masks. Barbot and de Blasio’s relationship soured early into the pandemic as they warred over how to handle the health crisis. A source described their relationship as “toxic.” The former commissioner was frequently absent from de Blasio’s daily coronavirus press briefings, with her last appearance on July 7. She was supposed to host a virtual town hall at noon Tuesday — with more than 550 people registered — but the event was canceled shortly after City Hall sent the press release announcing she was being replaced.
In her resignation letter to staffers, Barbot gushed about her team’s “world class skills.” “Your experience and guidance have been the beacon leading this city through this historic pandemic and that to successfully brace against the inevitable second wave, your talents must be better leveraged alongside that of our sister agencies,” she said. Chokshi served as the hospitals system’s chief population health officer and a “key leader in the city’s COVID-19 response,” said the release — which doesn’t once mention Barbot by name. “I couldn’t be prouder of our City’s response in the face of a once-in-a-lifetime public health crisis,” Chokshi said in a statement. “I’m honored to serve the people of New York City with the extraordinary team at the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. Together, we will emerge from this pandemic as a stronger, fairer, and healthier city.” Chokshi worked as a White House Fellow in the Obama administration and was the principal health advisor to the secretary of Veterans Affairs. He was appointed by President Obama in 2016 to the Advisory Group on Prevention, Health Promotion, and Integrative and Public Health. He also served on the FEMA delegation to the city after Hurricane Sandy in 2012 and as a special advisor to then-City Health Commissioner Tom Farley in 2011. He will continue working as a primary care physician at Bellevue Hospital while serving as health commissioner.
https://nypost.com/2020/08/04/nyc-health-commissioner-dr-oxiris-barbot-resigns/