Rockland health commissioner leaving; Ruppert led department through measles, COVID, polio
NEW CITY - Rockland Health Commissioner Dr. Patricia Schnabel Ruppert is leaving at month's end. Ruppert led the department through a 2018-2019 measles outbreak; the COVID pandemic, which hit Rockland early on; and in July, the discovery of the first case of paralytic polio in the U.S. in decades.
A request for comment from Ruppert was declined.
“The work of our Health Department during COVID-19 and our measles outbreak was nothing short of extraordinary and I thank Dr. Ruppert and her team for their tireless dedication,” Rockland County Executive Ed Day said Thursday.
The county has formed a search committee to fill the post. An interim health commissioner will be named during the search process.
Three crises during tenure
Ruppert joined the health department in July 2013.
For Ruppert, the job entailed managing three major health emergencies that the county faced in the last several years. The work went well beyond medical expertise.
In 2018-2019, Ruppert managed a measles outbreak that ultimately sickened 312 in Rockland.
Many measles cases were clustered in the Orthodox and Hasidic Jewish community. Faced with a growing vaccination hesitancy in pockets of that and other communities, Ruppert met multiple times with rabbinical leadership and groups of mothers and pediatricians to discuss the importance of vaccination.
Her department also focused on a public awareness campaign, with signs in multiple languages about measles and vaccinations, and doorhangers and leaflets specifically geared to the Orthodox and Hasidic Jewish community.
The vaccination issue revealed by Rockland's measles outbreak pushed the state to enact stricter school vaccination rules.
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In March 2020, COVID hit Rockland early and hard. Within weeks of COVID's detection in New York, the county had among the fastest-growing positivity rates in the nation. More than 1,300 deaths in Rockland have been linked to COVID.
Ruppert's health department, along with the Office for the Aging and other departments, coordinated a complex set of COVID vaccination clinics in the beginning of 2021.
Rockland's health department was again thrust on the national and international stage in July 2022 when a 20-year-old man was diagnosed with paralytic polio.
Ruppert's experience in urging vaccinations would be tapped again as her team worked with state and federal health officials to boost vaccination rates, especially among young children.
Polio shows no symptoms in most cases, but can cause permanent paralysis or death. The polio vaccine is considered nearly 100% effective in stopping the worst outcomes.
Since the polio case was reported in Rockland, roughly 18,500 polio vaccines have been given in the county.
What's the job?
The health commissioner oversees all clinics, immunization programs, communicable diseases, emergency medical services, emergency and public health preparedness, environmental health, preventative health care and education, and the enforcement of applicable public health laws and sanitary codes.
The candidate must have a medical degree and be certified by the American Board of Preventative Medicine; two years of administrative experience; and a master's degree in public health or be on the way to earning it.
The appointment must be approved by the New York State commissioner of health.
The salary is from $163,748 to $204,255 and it's a 24/7 job; outside employment is not allowed. The candidate must be a U.S. citizen and reside in Rockland while holding the post, according to the job description.
Nancy Cutler writes about People & Policy. Follow her on Twitter at @nancyrockland.
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Health chief who led measles COVID polio response in Rockland resigns
