Immediately after the formal announcement of a change in leadership at DPH, CSMS penned a letter to DPH Acting Commissioner, Dr. Deidre Gifford, congratulating her on her latest appointment, thanking her for her continued service to the state and providing an update on physicians’ contributions and areas of continued focus during the COVID-19 pandemic.

A fellow physician who previously headed the Department of Social Services, Dr. Gifford, received our letter which voiced our enthusiasm for the ability to continue our work together, as well as our proactive support for removing all but the medical exemption for school-aged vaccinations. We additionally wrote about CSMS’ commitment to decreasing the growing rate of drug abuse and domestic violence occurring during this isolation, concerns over the Red Flag Laws, maternal morbidity and mortality, social determinants related to the COVID-19 virus and other important matters that CSMS believes should be at the forefront of public health policy during this crisis.

You can read our letter to Acting DPH Commissioner Gifford by clicking here.