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La., Health Department Leader Courtney Phillips To Resign This Week
The person placed in charge of the Louisiana Department of Health just as the COVID-19 pandemic was taking root will leave her post.
April 3, 2023
18:54
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Find out what's happening in Across Louisianafor free with the latest updates from Patch.
La. Health Department leader Courtney Phillips to resign this week
By: Louisiana Illuminator - April 3, 2023 6:54 pm
Find out what's happening in Across Louisianafor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Louisiana Department of Health Secretary Courtney Phillips will resign effective Thursday, April 6, 2023, Gov. John Bel Edwards said Monday. (LDH photo)
The person placed in charge of the Louisiana Department of Health just as the COVID-19 pandemic was taking root will leave her post later this week. Gov. John Bel Edwards said Monday that Courtney Phillips will resign Thursday, a little over three years after she was hired as LDH secretary.
Stephen Russo, the department’s executive counsel and an agency employee for 27 years, will take over for Phillips, the governor said.
Phillips was tasked with leading the state’s response to COVID-19, which stretched Louisiana hospitals and their staffs beyond capacity. The pandemic also required the health department to address the elevated impact of the virus at nursing homes, which saw the highest concentration of deaths early in the pandemic.
“Secretary Phillips is one of the hardest working, most capable and most accomplished people I’ve ever met,” Edwards said in a statement. “During the COVID-19 pandemic, her decisive and thoughtful leadership saved lives. She spearheaded our response as we established an unprecedented mass testing program and innovative vaccine rollout and distribution program.”
The outgoing LDH leader also drew substantial heat during the pandemic, largely from those who thought the state’s preventative measures were excessive. Outside the administration, she was criticized for keeping a fairly tight lid on information from the health department.
Before coming to Louisiana, Phillips led the state health agencies in Nebraska and Texas. In addition to her work in the pandemic, Edwards commended her for initiatives to improve health equity, address maternal mortality and behavioral health needs, and expand access to critical health services.
A Louisiana native, Phillips earned her bachelor’s degree in kinesiology and a master of public administration from LSU and a Ph.D. in public policy from Southern University. She spent a dozen years at LDH before advancing to leadership positions outside the state.
Gov. Greg Abbott named Phillips head of Texas Health and Human Services in 2018. When she left that role to return to Louisiana, she took a pay cut from $290,000 to $250,000.
“I’m a big believer in public service, so the opportunity to return to my home state and give back in such a meaningful way at such a critical time is something that will stay with me for the rest of my career,” Phillips said in the statement from the governor’s office.
State Rep. Jack McFarland, R-Jonesboro, credited Phillips for being accessible during her time with the state health department.
“You know what it means for the head of an agency that big to call legislators consistently,” McFarland said in an interview. “That’s a rare thing, and I really appreciated it.”
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The Louisiana Illuminator is an independent, nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization driven by its mission to cast light on how decisions are made in Baton Rouge and how they affect the lives of everyday Louisianians, particularly those who are poor or otherwise marginalized.
