Baltimore health commissioner announces her resignation
Dr. Oxiris Barbot was one of the longest serving members of the Rawlings-Blake cabinet
Above: Oxiris Barbot served as Baltimore’s health commissioner for four years.
One of the few remaining members of Mayor Rawlings-Blake’s original cabinet, Dr. Oxis Barbot, is leaving as commissioner of the city health department, effective April 26.
Barbot will return to New York City to become first deputy commissioner of health. Jacquelyn Duval-Harvey, who joined the city as a deputy health commissioner, will serve as interim director when Dr. Barbot departs next month.
Administrative Turnover since 2010
Barbot joins a long list of high-level departures from the current administration.
Among the turnover have been the top administrators of Fire, Police, Public Works, Transportation, Schools, Finance, General Services, Recreation and Parks, Mayor’s Office of Information Technology, Mayor’s Office of Human Services, Mayor’s Office of Policy and Communications, and the Baltimore Development Corp.
Also: Chief of Staff, Mayor’s Office of Criminal Justice, Deputy Chief of Government and Community Affairs, Mayor’s Office of Minority and Women-Owned Business Development, and Office of Inspector General.
“I would like to thank Dr. Barbot for her years of dedicated service to Baltimore,” Mayor Rawlings-Blake said in a media release this afternoon.
“Her enthusiasm for health and wellness is infectious, and she has left a rich legacy of progressive policies to move our city forward. Dr. Barbot understood that Baltimore had to be aggressive in more than just treatment, but also in addressing the underlying issues that led to poor health – particularly in our most vulnerable communities.”
Barbot was appointed commissioner of health in July 2010, five months after Rawlings-Blake became mayor following the resignation of Sheila Dixon, who had been convicted of a corruption charge.
As health commissioner, Dr. Barbot led a 1,200-employee agency, with a budget of nearly $140 million, responsible for health policy and programs, including control of infectious diseases, emergency preparedness, maternal-child health, restaurant inspections, animal control and chronic disease prevention.
In 2011, Barbot spearheaded the roll out of the mayor’s Healthy Baltimore 2015, a comprehensive health policy agenda that included a ten-point plan for improved public health.
Otherwise, she has kept a low profile in city government.