COLUMBUS — Governor Mike DeWine has announced during his daily briefing Thursday that Dr. Amy Acton resigned as the health director for the state of Ohio.
It’s true, not all heroes wear capes. Some of them wear a white coat embossed with the name Dr. Amy Acton. pic.twitter.com/ugzvTGSoie
— Governor Mike DeWine (@GovMikeDeWine) June 11, 2020
She will stay on as a special health advisor, advising on health issues, while continuing to focus on the COVID-19 crisis.
Acton says she has been contemplating stepping away for several weeks and felt that the time was right as the state reopens and enters a phase she described as “learning to live” with the coronavirus.
“I wouldn’t see it as leaving but sort of shaping how I can best be of service,” she said.
The announcement comes after a contentious few months as Acton became the target of frustrations during the coronavirus pandemic.
She was most recently sued by organizers of music festivals and restaurant owners as the slow reopening takes place and had her authority limited last month by Republican lawmakers who were frustrated by aggressive stay-at-home orders.
Protests were staged outside her Bexley home.
“For anyone doing this job, you’d be surprised how much a lot of that isn’t your focus. For me, my focus — the need to save Ohioans and save lives — was so intense, especially during this first phase, I can honestly say that — it had to be a single-point meditation on the task at hand and it remains that,” Acton said.
Acton called her time as the state health director an “honor of a lifetime” and said She felt the time was right for a “natural shift” as the state reopens after weeks under shutdowns she and DeWine ordered to contain the spread of COVID-19, which has killed 2,490 Ohioans.
Acton was appointed director of the Department of Health in 2019.
Lance Himes, who previously served as health director, was named interim director.
The state on Thursday reported 429 new confirmed and probable cases of COVID-19 for a total of 40,004.