Outgoing official says `many lives saved'
In a farewell letter, outgoing Health Commissioner Gary Cox wrote that he is leaving the state Health Department in a better position than when he began last year.
"Many lives of
Oklahomans have been saved with t he collective effort of all Oklahomans," he wrote Gov. Kevin Stitt in the letter dated Monday.
Cox ,73, is out as the top official at the Health
Department because state senators would not confirm him. He must leave later this month when the Legislature adjourns its regular session.
The governor appointed Cox to the position in September. In comments to reporters Monday and Tuesday, Stitt praised Cox and criticized the Senate.
"It's very disappointing," the governor said Monday. "Can' t say enough great things about the Health Department. And to not confirm this person, I just want Oklahomans to ask the quest i on, ' Why? What's going on?'"
He said Tuesday, "It puts us in a bind. ... It just feels a little bit like politics that you're not going to confirm some guy that's done a great job leading us through this, in the middle of a pandemic."
In his letter, Cox outlined his accomplishments over the l ast eight months and what still needs to be done. He thanked the governor for "your faith in me, my leadership and the team that we have built at the Oklahoma State Department of Health."
"I am excited and hopeful that the vision you have for Oklahoma will continue to charge forward, even in my absence," Cox wrote.
The opposition to his confirmation was so great in the Senate that i t wasn't even scheduled for a committee hearing.
He fell out of favor at a time when senators — and state representatives — are at odds with the governor.
Senators said they had concerns because Cox did not meet the legal requirements for the job. He is not a doctor and has a law degree, not a master of science degree or a doctoral degree in public health or public health administration.
Senators said they also had concerns after the attorney general asked for an investigative audit of the Health Department and after hearing complaints from employees there.
"You just kind of pile all that together and it became really, really hard to confirm him,” Sen. Greg McCortney,
chairman of the Senate Health and Human Services Committee, said Saturday.
In the farewell letter, Cox addressed the Senate's refusal to consider his confirmation, calling it" even more unfortunate that the timing of this is occurring in the midst of a pandemic."
"I am disheartened and saddened that a leader with over 50 years of service to the state, recognized national leader in public health, former president of t he National Association for County and City Health Officials, ... visiting Associate Professor of Health Administration and Policy at Hudson College of Public Health for 17 years, possession of a doctorate level degree, National Institute for Public Health trained and a proven track record for delivering on progressive and innovative public health strategies is deemed unqualified," he wrote.
The governor said five or six people were interviewed for the position and" we felt like Gary had the right experience."
Cox was in charge of the Oklahoma City-County Health Department when he was tapped to be health commissioner. Before that, he was in charge of the Tulsa Health Department.
"He was a disrupter," Stitt said. "And so really, what happened was he was disrupting and changing some things and holding people accountable. Some of those employees down there didn't like it and you've seen what happened."