Dr. Michelle Morse, MD, MPH has been named acting health commissioner and chief medical officer of the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (NYC DOHMH). She spoke with the Amsterdam News about her new role, Long COVID, and her goals. This conversation has been edited and condensed for clarity.
AmNews: The AmNews interviewed outgoing Commissioner Vasan prior to his leaving the position and he indicated that he believed this was “your time.” What do you think about those words and what do you need to do now as acting commissioner of NYC DOHMH?
Michelle Morse, MD, MPH (MM): Those are very kind words from Dr. Vasan and I think that ultimately, we remain in a moment where public health needs to continue to be a priority in the city. I feel very confident that we’ve laid the groundwork, but we need to keep public health at the center of priorities for the city. As to whether it’s my time, I think it’s less about me and more about how we keep public health and health equity at the top of the agenda for the city, for the nation, for the world. Part of the reason I put it that way is because we are still in unprecedented times when it comes to public health — the number of infectious disease threats, the number of ways in which social inequity is threatening the health of people. Those are all still top of mind and very timely concerns.
AmNews: We saw a lot of powerful initiatives over the last couple of years, especially around teen health and the NYC teenspace, and COVID-19. What are some of the things that you plan to do that will be particular to what you feel are the needs for the good people of New York City?
MM: What we need to continue to do is focus on the needs of Black pregnant people and women, in large part because of what the data tells us. All these priorities are driven by the data that we have in New York City telling us where to focus. Chronic disease inequities, birth equity, the office of Healthcare Accountability [are] going to be big priorit[ies] for me.
The 1115 Medicaid waiver is another kind of area of focus that we’ll continue to pursue.
AmNews: Could you discuss the 1115 waiver in more detail? This waiver [provides more than $7 billion over] three years and is 100% focused on health equity. It is a huge opportunity for us. We’ve had a wonderful partnership with the New York State Health Department over the past several years in the planning and now in the early implementation of the waiver.
This vehicle is a way to deepen our partnership with the state. Because the New York City Health Department has a long legacy of being a leader at the vanguard of health equity and public health, we have a lot to offer the state, as well as all of the partners that are implementing the waiver here in New York City, [thanks to] our frontline view on health inequities in New York City. HEALTHY NYC is a part of elevating those key health inequities and supporting the key aspects of the waiver by partnering with the social care networks and also with the organization that ends up being named as the statewide health equity regional organization.
That’s our goal: to make sure that implementation is successful in New York City and to bring our perspective, experience, and priorities around HEALTHY NYC to the goals of the waiver.
AmNews: Could you talk about where we are with Long COVID?
MM: Yes, absolutely. COVID and respiratory viral season are still huge priorities for us in the New York City Health Department. There is no better time for everyone to get their updated COVID shot, their flu shot, and — if they’re eligible — an RSV shot as well. We’re encouraging everyone to do that, particularly those who are 65 and older, those who are pregnant, and those who have other things that make them more vulnerable to respiratory viral season.
We certainly are continuing to push those priorities. We are also going to be pushing information and messaging campaigns around those priorities. It’s still top of mind for us. The good news is that deaths from COVID have continued to trend down, [which] is a great sign of progress. However, we know that for those who are unvaccinated, the risk of Long COVID is higher, and we know that it’s not only death that matters, of course — with COVID, there are so many other implications.
From a Long COVID perspective, we just recently put out a Dear Colleague letter about Long COVID. It ended up going viral on Tiktok because so many people were excited to see guidance from the health department about what providers should be doing in screening for Long COVID and addressing concerns that patients might communicate.
AmNews: Is there anything you’d like to tell our readers? MM: I’m stepping up at this time because I think it is an incredibly important time for leadership in public health. I feel honored and humbled by the opportunity to serve. I plan to focus on stability in the department, and equity. Those will be my areas of focus and I hope that New Yorkers will feel the impact of those two areas of focus.