Montgomery Co. health officer Dr. Travis Gayl rigns - WTOP News

Contents:

• AFTER ‘TORRENT’ OF PUBLIC ABE, MONTGOMERY HEALTH OFFICER TRAVIS GAYL RIGNS
• MONTGOMERY CO. HEALTH OFFICER DR. TRAVIS GAYL RIGNS
• DR. GAYL: ‘IT HAS BEEN AN HONOR AND PRIVILEGE TO SERVE THE RINTS OF MONTGOMERY COUNTY’
• TRAVIS GAYL
• DR. GAYL: ‘IT’S BEEN A PRIVILEGE AND AN HONOR’
• MONTGOMERY COUNTY HEALTH OFFICER TRAVIS GAYL RIGNS
• DR. TRAVIS A. GAYL
• DR. TRAVIS ANDRE GAYL, MD
• MOCO HEALTH OFFICER TRAVIS GAYL RIGNG, EFFECTIVE SEPT. 12

AFTER ‘TORRENT’ OF PUBLIC ABE, MONTGOMERY HEALTH OFFICER TRAVIS GAYL RIGNS

Travis Gayl, who beme a faiar face to unty rints durg the COVID-19 panmic, will leave his posn next month, he told unty lears a Wednday morng rignatn letter. Gayl, one of the unty’s top health officials and a public face of s panmic rponse, announced on Wednday that he will step down September.

A letter Gayl sent to County Executive Marc B.

MONTGOMERY CO. HEALTH OFFICER DR. TRAVIS GAYL RIGNS

But Elrich told reporters that Gayl has “gone through hell over the past 18 months. “He absorbed a torrent of hate and vrl om segments of the public, cludg receivg threats on his safety, racist and homophobic emails, and social media attacks, ” the executive said.

Over the urse of the panmic, some health officers, cludg Gayl, the vice-chairman of the Maryland Associatn of County Health Officers, have clashed wh state lears over polici erng bs activy, social gathergs, mask requirements and vacce allotments. Gayl “had to fight wh his boss, ” Elrich said. Gayl was hired by Elrich’s precsor, Isiah Leggett (D), 2017.

Gayl will go down as one of the most important people our unty’s history, ” the executive said.

DR. GAYL: ‘IT HAS BEEN AN HONOR AND PRIVILEGE TO SERVE THE RINTS OF MONTGOMERY COUNTY’

Gayl was unavailable for ment Wednday, a spokwoman said. Elrich and the uncil learned of Gayl’ cisn to part an email that arrived at 3 a.

TRAVIS GAYL

The executive said Gayl is on vatn and that he sent the msage at 9 a. Gayl thanked unty lears for “creatg a space for science to be heard and embraced, and for advotg for equable accs to improved health out for all our rints. Travis Gayl adjts his mask before talkg wh members of the media on Tuday, April 7, 2020.

Travis Gayl, who helped navigate Maryland’s most populo unty through the ronavis panmic, is rigng.

DR. GAYL: ‘IT’S BEEN A PRIVILEGE AND AN HONOR’

In an email to County Executive Marc Elrich and members of the Montgomery County Council Wednday morng, Gayl submted his formal rignatn and said his fal day wh the unty would be Sept. “I have enjoyed the opportuny to serve the rints of Montgomery County for the past 4 years, cludg through the past 18 months related to Covid-19, ” Gayl wrote the email. Gayl’ plan to rign, first reported by The Washgton Post, appears to have ught many unty officials off-guard.

Gayl’ email was received by other unty officials shortly before 3 a. Gayl is on vatn France, which is six hours ahead of the Eastern Standard Time zone.

MONTGOMERY COUNTY HEALTH OFFICER TRAVIS GAYL RIGNS

Speakg to reporters durg an onle media briefg Wednday afternoon, Elrich praised Gayl for his learship durg the panmic and said the doctor “has gone through hell” over the past 18 months, potg to clash wh the ernor’s office over panmic-related cisn-makg and a “torrent of hate and vrl” om some unty rints over the ut urse of actn liftg ronavis rtrictns that Gayl advoted. Gayl is gog to go down as one of the most important people our unty’s history, ” Elrich said. Of Gayl’ clash wh the admistratn of Republin Gov.

Larry Hogan, Elrich said Gayl “has been a te profile urage. One high-profile flap wh state health officials me last summer, followg an orr issued by Gayl requirg private schools to temporarily mata virtual-only class given the muny spread of the vis.

Gayl, who eventually rcd that orr, mataed he was actg the bt tert of stunts’ health and safety.

DR. TRAVIS A. GAYL

Gayl, I would. Gayl, who had served as the unty’s health officer sce 2017, won both praise and cricism for the unty’s handlg of the panmic, which clud strict ronavis rtrictns and an exceptnally ut approach toward reopeng.

DR. TRAVIS ANDRE GAYL, MD

Gayl for his guidance and his learship throughout this panmic over the last year and a half and particularly for his urageo sistence on followg the data and the science nsistently — even the face of a lot of the unfair attacks and cricism that he received personally, ” said County Council Print Tom Hucker an terview wh WTOP. Durg much of the ronavis panmic, Gayl was the “public face” of the unty’s vis rponse, answerg qutns before the unty uncil and media briefgs on a weekly basis and even appearg a “60 Mut” segment about the unty’s efforts to ensure an equable distributn of COVID-19 vacc.

In an terview wh Bethda magaze last year, Gayl revealed he had been the target of racist and homophobic msag om some rints apparently trated about his approach to the panmic. Travis Gayl as Chief Health Officer, Andrew Post as Chief Innovatn Officer, and the promotn of Jeannie Chen to Chief Clil Operatns Officer, furtherg the pany's mment to transformg accs to qualy healthre for all. Travis Gayl and Andrew Post jo Jeannie Chen and the Hazel Health team at a momento time for the pany amid exponential growth and creased ctomer need.

MOCO HEALTH OFFICER TRAVIS GAYL RIGNG, EFFECTIVE SEPT. 12

Gayl served as the Health Officer and Chief of Public Health Servic for Montgomery County, Maryland, where he oversaw the unty health system and was tegral leadg the COVID-19 panmic rponse. Gayl was the Chief Medil Officer of the District of Columbia Department of Health.

Gayl brgs signifint pediatric clil experience, havg worked as a primary re provir and a pediatric hospalist muny-based settgs. Gayl has also been a published rearcher on topics such as the impact of exposure to bullyg and terpersonal vlence on adolcent risk-takg behavr. Gayl holds faculty appotments at NYU, Johns Hopks Universy and the Universy of Maryland.

"At no time any of our liv has accs to meangful health servic been more important for children, " said Gayl.