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 In an email sent to de Blasio that the New York Times obtained, Dr.
Oxiris Barbot said she was leaving with "deep disappointment" over
the fact that the Health Department's expertise was not "used to the
degree it could have been" as New York City, once the pandemic's
U.S. epicenter, fought to contain the virus that claimed the lives
of tens of thousands of its residents.
In May, de Blasio was criticized for giving control of the city's
COVID-19 contact tracing efforts to the public hospital system
instead of putting it in the hands of the health department, which
had run such programs before.
In the message to her staff announcing her resignation, Barbot also
appeared to criticize the city's handling of the pandemic response.
"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," Barbot wrote.
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In May, she came under fire after reports quoted her dismissing a police request
for surgical face masks to protect officers from the coronavirus during a heated
exchange with the chief of the New York City Police Department.
De Blasio on Tuesday appointed Dave Chokshi, who previously held senior
leadership roles with the city's public hospital system, to replace Barbot as
the new commissioner.
Barbot, who headed the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene
since 2018, previously held other positions in public health, including as
health commissioner of Baltimore.
"I want to thank her (Barbot) for the important work she did during this
crisis," de Blasio said at press conference on Tuesday, adding "it was time for
a change."
(Reporting by Maria Caspani, Editing by Aurora Ellis)
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