| Detroit Free Press
The leader of the Michigan Department of Health who has a leading role in combating the COVID-19 pandemic has resigned.
Robert Gordon, head of the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, announced the decision Friday afternoon on Twitter.
“Today I thank the Whitmer administration. It was an honor to serve with wonderful colleagues. I look forward to the next chapter,” Gordon tweeted.
Government Gretchen Whitmer said in a lengthy statement that Gordon resigned and she accepted his decision. She did not give a reason for the departure nor did he thank him for his service in the statement.
Whitmer said Elizabeth Hertel, currently the senior deputy director for administration within the health department, will be the new director.
“Elizabeth Hertel has dedicated her career to protecting Michiganders’ public health, and she is uniquely willing to lead MDHHS as we continue to work together to end the COVID-19 pandemic,” Whitmer said.
‘She has served in various administrations of both parties and knows how to bring people together to get things done. In her service to the state, she has repeatedly proven that she will do everything in her power to ensure the health and safety of Michigan families everywhere. Ending the COVID-19 pandemic will require hard work and partnership between state government, businesses and organizations across the state. ‘
The health department did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
In a statement, Hertel said she was ready to fulfill her duties.
“While we work to promote the spread of the safe and effective COVID vaccine and end the pandemic, I am eager to work with Governor Whitmer and her administration to keep Michiganders safe and sound,” Hertel said.
‘I am grateful for the opportunity to lead the department at the moment. Michigan is facing a crisis, unlike what we have seen before, but our aggressive action against this virus works. Let’s finish the job and end the COVID-19 pandemic once and for all. ”
Gordon was announced by supporters of Whitmer and those who advocated her state pandemic orders, but was frequently criticized by legislative Republicans. While he and the governor defended the orders as legal instruments that saved people’s lives, opponents argued that the orders were too broad and that they were government arrangements.
Critics have blamed Gordon in part for decisions about where residents of long-term care institutions infected with COVID-19 should live and whether schools should offer personal classes. He also essentially became the victim of orders banning indoor dining; although Whitmer sought and eventually orchestrated these decisions, the commands were issued in his name by the Department of Health.
“There will be a vaccine coming and by spring it will be better. The decisions we make, and especially our willingness to avoid unmasked indoor gatherings, will determine whether thousands of Michiganders survive,” Gordon told lawmakers. December, one of several controversial meetings they had with him.
“Today I ask that we set aside politics, focus on science, the facts and our personal responsibilities regardless of the party, to be smart, to slow down the pandemic, to protect hospitals for all who need them and to be heroic health workers. to protect. “
During the meeting, Gordon brought savings with State Senator Kim LaSata, R-Bainbridge township. After a heated exchange where LaSata said Gordon’s orders threatened the lives of children, she said “if you leave us, good luck,” it appears Gordon intended to have another job.
“Thank you, there are no plans to leave,” Gordon replied.
More: Singing ‘open now’, protesters protest at the home of Michigan health director Robert Gordon
More: Michigan restaurants may reopen indoor limited-capacity eateries, Feb. 1 dinner
Whitmer appointed Gordon to the post in January 2019 shortly after he took office. He previously worked for the College Board, a non-profit entity that conducts standardized tests, and has held several high-ranking positions in the administration of former president. Barack Obama. He was not a medical doctor, but a graduate of Harvard University with a law degree from Yale University, according to the biography available on the Department of Health’s website.
In November, then-elected President Joe Biden appointed Gordon as co-leader of a transitional team reviewing the actions of the federal Department of Health.
In December, protesters shouted outside his home in Lansing, asking him to ‘open now’. In the same month, a Republican senator called for Gordon’s resignation, citing the state’s response to the pandemic.
“Director Gordon has issued nationwide mandates to shut down small businesses without giving them the opportunity to operate safely – a move that has driven these hard-working small business owners into bankruptcy without any fault of their own,” said Sen. Aric Nesbitt, R-Lawton, said in November.
After rulings in the Michigan Supreme Court in the fall overturned Whitmer’s executive orders, Gordon quickly issued a series of state health orders that essentially reflected her prescriptions. He pointed to a state law that provides the director of the department of health in times of emergency health to restrict gatherings and issue other mandates.
“We understand that people are confused and that they want clarity, and therefore we have issued orders that are as much as possible the same as the orders that were already in place, because there was this extremely disruptive court case and we are just trying to to set, ‘Gordon said at the time.
“Nothing will make us happier if we can meet the requirements here. Nobody enjoys it. We do this because wearing masks and social distance is our best tool to limit COVID, save lives and get back to normal. ”
Legislators passed a measure that would require the health director to obtain legislative approval for any emergency order that would last longer than 28 days, but Whitmer vetoed the bill.
Contact Dave Boucher at [email protected] or 313-938-4591. Follow him on Twitter @ Dave_Boucher1.