The state's top health official, Dr. Joe Kanter, who shepherded Louisiana through the COVID pandemic is stepping down, and WWL's Newell Normand had high praise for the way he navigated some of the toughest years the area has faced.
Dr. Kanter's resignation comes two months after Gov. Jeff Landry took office and amid news that he's expected to pursue a number of initiatives that would require working closely with the Department of Health.
Issues that include removing vaccine mandates, the use of nitrogen hypoxia to to execute people on death row, the concealed carry laws and abortion -- issues where experts say Dr. Kanter would likely have friction with the governor.
So, what's he going to do with all of his new free time? "I'm very thankful to have some more time at home," Dr. Kanter said. "I still practice emergency medicine locally. I don't anticipate that changing ... I'm looking forward to the next step."
Before being appointed state health officer in 2021, Kanter served as assistant state health officer and prior to that, he was medical director for the City of New Orleans.
During the pandemic, Kanter regularly led press conferences about COVID-19 in Louisiana, which was immediately in the national spotlight when the virus took hold rapidly in the weeks after Mardi Gras in February 2020.
"I didn't think it would be smooth sailing," Dr. Kantor told Newell about his years in the job. "I really feel fortunate and grateful that I was in my role in a time of need. I think people want to feel useful and I feel that I was. I learned a lot. We all learned a lot."
The best way to communicate with adults, Dr. Kanter added, is to treat them like adults, especially when there are nuances and unknowns, like there were during the pandemic.
"No matter which question I asked, he never ducked one," Normand said, praising Dr. Kantor heavily and pointing out how many listeners praised the steady, clear way he approached the pandemic.
At times, Kanter worked 21-hour days as Louisiana’s death rate rose to one of the highest in the nation in the early days of the pandemic.
Later, he encouraged booster shots and uptake of the vaccine in young people.
That put him in the crosshairs for people like Gov. Landry, who spoke out against the COVID vaccine.
Listeners piled on Normand's high praise, with some saying they couldn't have gotten through the pandemic without Dr. Kanter.