Dr. Grant Colfax steps down as San Francisco’s DPH director as Daniel Lurie takes office, marking a significant leadership change in public health.
San Francisco: Big news in the city! Dr. Grant Colfax, who has been the director of the Department of Public Health, announced he’s resigning. This comes as Daniel Lurie steps into the mayor’s office.
Colfax has been a respected figure since he took the role in 2019, just before the pandemic hit. He played a crucial part in keeping San Francisco’s COVID death rate low, focusing on isolation, masking, and vaccinations.
After nearly six years, he’s moving on. In his farewell, Colfax expressed pride in his work, highlighting achievements like tackling COVID-19 and the fentanyl crisis, and boosting the number of nurses in the city.
While he did great things, the rise in fentanyl overdoses during his time led to some criticism. Many felt the DPH’s harm reduction strategies were too lenient given the severity of the crisis.
Still, he introduced advanced tracking tools for overdoses, which helped shed light on the situation. Plus, he played a key role in saving Laguna Honda hospital, which is worth mentioning.
Mayor Lurie praised Colfax for his dedication, saying his efforts saved lives during tough times. Colfax’s last day will be February 7, and Dr. Naveena Bobba will step in as interim director while a new permanent director is chosen.
This change marks the second high-profile resignation since Lurie took over, following the departure of SFMTA director Jeffrey Tumlin at the end of December.
