Dr. Ashwin Vasan, the former commissioner of the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, spoke with the Amsterdam News about the work he has done at the department, the programs and projects he has overseen while commissioner, and the challenges New York still faces. This interview was conducted the day before he left office. It has been edited and condensed for clarity.
AmNews: Please tell the readers of the paper about your legacy as commissioner of the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene?
Dr. Ashwin Vasan (AV): I am so proud of the work we’ve done over the last three years. When I was appointed at the end of 2021, we were in the throes of COVID-19 with Omicron. To play a part in leading us out of . . . COVID … Then Mpox hit, and then things like polio and measles came up, so we had these recurring crises, but in the background, we were doing a few things. We re-oriented the city toward the common health agenda, HEALTHY NYC. We got that passed into law and now that will be the permanent planning structure for the city.
We made incredible investments in mental health, especially youth mental health, and overdose prevention. Today, we just announced we had the first reduction in overdose deaths in four years, so we’re turning the tide on that. We stood up after the Dobbs decision on abortion and became a national leader in abortion access and reproductive health. We addressed affordability of healthcare. Over the next three years, we’ll be clearing $2 billion in medical debt from 500,000 low-income families and launched an office of healthcare accountability to improve price transparency. We’ve invested in maternal health and launched the citywide doula program.
The list goes on. We did all of that while strengthening our data systems internally, investing in our people and our resilience.
Morale is high in the department. In our last workforce survey, 84% of our staff said they’re happy and satisfied with their work and the environment here. That was much higher than when I arrived and understandably so, because people were still affected by the pandemic and working so hard and traumatized.
All along the way, we’ve tried to ensure that equity isn’t a side project but rather foundational to our population health goals.
We can’t achieve HEALTHY NYC unless we’re focusing on Black lives, Brown lives, low-income communities, people who have been left behind, marginalized people. It’s a lot. When I look back on it, I’m very proud that we did so much in such a relatively short amount of time. I’ve been here almost twice as long as my predecessors …, and I’m extraordinarily proud of this work.
AmNews: How do you feel about the initiatives and programs you’ve overseen during your tenure, given your departure?
AV: Part of the reason why I’m confident in leaving, even though I’m sad, is the people we have. We have 7,000 fantastic staff here who care so much about the city, who wake up every day trying to serve and improve health and justice in the city, and we have Dr. Morse. It’s her time to step up and she’s ready. It’s going to stretch her like it stretched me. It’s going to test her like it tested me, like it tests everybody. But she’s a great leader and she will keep us going in the directions that we have laid out in the post-COVID era. I’m really proud. Bittersweet to leave, but leaving with my head very high.
AmNews: What are your plans once you leave the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene?AV: I’m still on the faculty at Columbia and I’m going back for the moment. We will see what happens next. New York is my home and I’m still going to be on Team New York.