SOUTH JERSEY (KYW Newsradio) — During the height of the pandemic, New Jersey’s daily COVID-19 briefings always began with an introduction by Gov. Phil Murphy to “the woman who needs no introduction”: Health Commissioner Judy Persichilli.
“It just got to be almost a private joke between the governor and myself, and it’s carried to this day,” she laughed.
She was confirmed to the job in January 2020, unaware of what would soon unfold. But with her detailed reports and Murphy’s preambles, she quickly became a fixture for providing COVID-19 information and guiding the public through the uncertainty.
“The team that I worked with so closely, we called it the team in the foxhole,” she recalled. “At the end of every day, we really gave thanks for the people we were working with, the work we were doing.”
Earlier this week, Persichilli announced she is planning to step down from her position. She said she feels it is time to move on from this role, though she will likely continue working in the industry.
“Probably keep my hand in health care,” she said. “It’s in my DNA. I started nursing school when I was 17.”
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Looking back on her career accomplishments, she is most proud of the COVID-19 vaccine rollout in New Jersey.
“When we were really under the gun to get people vaccinated, everyone had access to a vaccine site,” she said. “We saved many, many more lives than we lost.”
Murphy said he is deeply grateful for her tireless efforts to advance the health and well-being of all New Jerseyans. “Judy’s unwavering dedication to public service during one of the most challenging times in our nation’s history will always be remembered with sincere appreciation and indefinite gratitude,” he added.
She wants people to remember the lessons learned over the past few years about health and to take care of themselves. She even wishes she did some things differently, like shutting down certain businesses sooner to prevent COVID-19 from spreading.
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“If we had known about asymptomatic spread, we would have known that the virus was already in our nursing homes and that it was being spread by, in the beginning, visitors coming in and out and staff coming in and out,” she said.
Persichilli will stick around to help with the transition to a new health commissioner. Murphy announced his intent to nominate Dr. Kaitlin Baston, the division head of addiction medicine and medical director of the Center for Healing at Cooper University Health Care.
“I have spent my career focused on addiction services, maternal and child health, and improving equity through health care in the community, and I am fully committed to using those experiences to create a healthy, equitable state for all,” Baston said. “It is an honor to lead the department following the incredible work and dedication of Commissioner Persichilli during an unprecedented time in public health, and I look forward to working with the team to advance the health and equity of all New Jerseyans.”
“Dr. Baston’s breadth of experience as a physician, highlighted by her many leadership roles within the addiction and health care space, will make her an exceptional commissioner at the Department of Health,” Murphy said.
Persichilli agreed, praising Baston as “eminently qualified.”
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