Situation Report | August 8, 2022
On July 27, the state Department of Health (DOH) announced that it is being reorganized to address one of its priorities – which is to ensure New Yorkers can age in place as long as possible with dignity and independence and have access to quality care if they need it.
First, DOH Commissioner Mary Bassett is establishing a cabinet of senior leadership. It’s executive team will consist of Department leaders and the Commissioner’s Office including the Executive Deputy Commissioner (EDC), and the leaders of the Office of Public Health (OPH), the Office of Primary Care and Health Systems Management (OPCHSM), the Office of Health Insurance Programs (OHIP), the New York State of Health (NYSOH) and of two new offices — Health Equity and Human Rights, and Office of Aging and Long-Term Care. Each leader will have oversight over key programs and policies that impact health and will report directly to the Commissioner.
In addition, Commissioner Bassett has established a Chief Medical Officer, and a leadership cabinet. Also, Dr. Bassett is prioritizing agencywide data sharing and use to drive policies, and a renewed emphasis on regional offices’ engagement with local health departments.
The new Office of Health Equity and Human Rights will address health disparities and work to improve diversity, equity and inclusion within the Department. It will be comprised of the current offices of Minority Health and Health Disparities Prevention and Language Access, the AIDS Institute, and the Office of Gun Violence Prevention. The new Office of Health Equity & Human Rights will be led by Deputy Commissioner Johanne Morne.
The new Office of Aging and Long-Term Care (OALTC) will develop policies and programs to meet the needs of older New Yorkers and people with disabilities who require long term care services and support. It will be led by Adam Herbst, Deputy Commissioner on Aging & Long Term Care and work collaboratively with the Office of Health Insurance Programs, the Office of Primary Care and Health Systems Management, and the NYS Office for the Aging to coordinate Department activities related to aging New Yorkers. The Office will be responsible for long-term care functions related to licensure, facility surveys, data collection, and policies and analysis. In addition, it will help develop and execute the State Master Plan on Aging to improve the recruitment, retention, and training of long-term care workers, and improve the quality of long-term care.
OALTC will combine certain functions of OPCHSM and OHIP to ensure DOH’s policy and reimbursement strategies align with system capacity and quality outcomes to serve New Yorkers in need of long-term care services across the spectrum in the most integrated and least restrictive settings. Additionally, DOH will prioritize the public health priorities of local health departments and, as such, its regional offices will be now be a part of the Office of Public Health. According to DOH, this will strengthen the voice of regional perspectives in DOH’s policy making and streamline local policy and program implementation.
Dr. Eugene Heslin will provide medical and clinical expertise to all senior leadership and various Department staff as the new Chief Medical Officer. Dr. Heslin has over 30 years in the field of medicine and is an expert in health care leadership, policy development and operational management centered on improved patient outcomes.
There will be a new Commissioner’s Cabinet who will report directly to and serve as advisors to Health Commissioner Bassett. The Executive Cabinet members are: Laura Mascuch, Chief of Staff; Kristin Proud, Acting Executive Deputy Commissioner; Dr. Ursula Bauer, Deputy Commissioner for Public Health; Dr. Eugene Heslin, First Deputy Commissioner and Chief Medical Officer; Sam Miller, Associate Commissioner for External Affairs; Kathy Marks, General Counsel; Amir Bassiri, Deputy Commissioner of the Office of Health Insurance Programs and Acting Medicaid Director; Adam Herbst, Deputy Commissioner Aging & Long Term Care; Dr. John Morley, Deputy Commissioner of Primary Care and Health Systems Management; Johanne Morne, Deputy Commissioner Health Equity and Human Rights; Diane Christensen, Deputy Commissioner Administration; and Danielle Holahan, Executive Director, NY State of Health and Senior Advisors, Megan Baldwin, Paul Francis and Sandra Mullin.
There will also be a concerted effort to make sure DOH’s regional offices are more integrated into public health policy making and that they prioritize the needs of local health departments. Regional Offices will now be a part of the Office of Public Health, which will strengthen the voice of local perspectives in our policy making and streamline local policy and program implementation.
Additional highlights of the Department rebuild include improving data capabilities and data use that are integral to advancing its mission; increasing communications, policy and data support for chronic disease programs; and establishing a new operating model for the Office of Health Emergency Preparedness.
HCA has worked with Adam Herbst and numerous members on the new Cabinet and look forward to continued engagement with them and other staff.
HCA will be monitoring this DOH reorganization to determine where we can provide input and how it will impact the financing and delivery of care at home.