Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
State Health Commissioner Howard Zucker Steps Down Amid Albany Overhaul
By
Caroline Lewis
Published Sep 23, 2021
Modified Sep 23, 2021
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
Kevin P. Coughlin / Office of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo
By
Caroline Lewis
Published Sep 23, 2021
Modified Sep 23, 2021
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
State Health Commissioner Dr. Howard Zucker, who leads the state Health Department and has played a key role in shaping New York’s pandemic response, is resigning from his post. Zucker worked closely with former Governor Andrew Cuomo and, in recent weeks, some state politicians and commentators have called for him to follow his former boss out the door.
Governor Kathy Hochul announced that Zucker submitted his resignation during a press conference Thursday morning and said he will remain in his position until it is filled. Asked whether she placed any pressure on Zucker to resign, Hochul said, “I think I made it very clear on my first day in office that I’d be looking to build a new team and I am building that team.”
When Hochul stepped into her role as governor at the end of August, she said she would take 45 days to review personnel in the administration. Hochul had not hinted previously that Zucker would be ousted, and the New York Post reported that she had even asked him to stay. But she said Thursday that she agreed with his decision to step down.
“He has been a dedicated public servant for over seven-and-a-half years,” Hochul said. “He worked hard through the pandemic and I want to thank him for his service on behalf of the people of this state.”
Hochul declined to say who might replace Zucker but said announcements of new members of the administration will come ahead of the early October deadline she gave herself to revamp state leadership.
In his resignation letter, Zucker said he is leaving at a time when the state has made considerable progress in addressing the coronavirus. “Though we continue to address new quagmires related to the pandemic… I believe that in our particular state, the most difficult aspects of this may be behind us,” he said (emphasis his). Still, he added that New Yorkers are left to “normalize” living with this “seemingly endemic” disease.
Zucker joined the state Health Department in 2013, early in Cuomo’s tenure. He had a hand in addressing public health crises such as the opioid epidemic and Ebola, as well as major initiatives that have had a wide-ranging impact on New Yorkers, including an overhaul of the state’s now-$80 billion Medicaid program.
Zucker also played a key leadership role during the pandemic, helping to implement policies to mitigate the spread of the virus. He came under fire for his decision last spring to allow people who were in the hospital for COVID-19 to be transferred directly into nursing homes, but defended the move, saying it was not the primary cause for rampant transmission in senior care facilities. A subsequent investigation by the state attorney general found that the number of nursing home deaths in New York had been severely undercounted.
Amid the sexual harassment investigation that precipitated Cuomo’s exit, there were reports of an overall toxic culture in Albany that some sources say Zucker contributed to. Sources in Albany told WNYC/Gothamist that the state Health Department under Zucker and Cuomo did a poor job of communicating major policy decisions to both employees and outside collaborators, including local health departments throughout the state. Senator Gustavo Rivera (D-Bronx), who chairs the Senate Health Committee, called him one of Cuomo’s “loyalists.”
In his letter, Zucker said, “With a fierce dedication to the public’s health, I have carried it through many a crisis in the last seven years and five months and placed the welfare of our residents at the forefront of all things, professional and personal.”
Hochul said Thursday that Zucker “has the opportunity to move on to new ventures” but did not specify what he will do next. She said he will stay on board until a new commissioner is “identified, is onboarded and is ready to hit the ground running.”
“Dr. Zucker’s ability to serve as the Commissioner of Health was hindered beyond repair by his decisions allowing the agency he led on behalf of the people of New York to become a political tool for Cuomo and his allies,” Rivera said in a statement to WNYC/Gothamist following Thursday’s announcement. “His resignation is warranted and another step towards ensuring we hold those who neglected their duties under the Cuomo administration accountable.”
This story has been updated to include a statement from State Senator Gustavo Rivera.
Tagged
pandemic
new york
health
Governor Kathy Hochul
howard zucker
Caroline Lewis
Caroline Lewis is on the health care beat for WNYC and Gothamist. She has covered COVID, a nurses' strike, the overdose crisis and New York’s marijuana legalization effort, and spent a year investigating patients' medical bills. She always wants to hear about how everyday New Yorkers experience the health system. Got a tip? Email [email protected].
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Retired NYPD detective charged with murder in George Washington Bridge shooting
Police say a Rockland County man was fatally shot during what appeared to be a road rage incident on Tuesday night.
By
Charles Lane
Published Oct 21, 2026
Modified Oct 21, 2026 at 5:43 p.m. ET
NYPD officer faces disciplinary trial 10 years after killing Delrawn Small
Officer Wayne Isaacs will go on trial in January on a charge that he used improper force when he shot and killed Delrawn Small in East New York in July 2016.
By
Ben Feuerherd
News
NYPD officer faces disciplinary trial 10 years after killing Delrawn Small
Officer Wayne Isaacs will go on trial in January on a charge that he used improper force when he shot and killed Delrawn Small in East New York in July 2016.
By
Ben Feuerherd
NYC adult daycare operators charged with committing over $500K in Medicaid fraud
By
Caroline Lewis
Port Authority eyes $117M fix to Manhattan roadway where falling debris smashed cars
By
Ramsey Khalifeh
Bronx couple starved their 3-year-old to death, indictment says
By
Catalina Gonella
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .