Mecklenburg health director retiring, but she’s ‘not rolling my sleeves down yet’
Mecklenburg County Health Director Gibbie Harris, who has been the public face for the county throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, is planning to retire at the end of the year.
Harris announced her retirement late Wednesday at the board of county commissioner’s meeting, calling it a “difficult decision.” Deputy Health Director Dr. Raynard Washington will succeed her as director.
“Public health is my passion,” Harris said, but added, “it’s the right time for me and my family, and I think it’s the right time for the department as well, to move into the next phase.”
A nurse by training, Harris has had a 30-year public health career dealing with other crises before the coronavirus pandemic, including HIV-AIDS treatment and caring for hurricane refugees.
She was previously health director in North Carolina’s Wake and Buncombe counties, and was named state health director of the year in 2011 while in Buncombe, according to her retirement announcement.
“Gibbie is a true public health professional who has worked to bring competency, leadership, respect and trust to Public Health in Mecklenburg County,” County Manager Dena Diorio said in a statement late Wednesday announcing the change. “Thanks to her leadership, we have truly been able to help improve the quality of life for our residents.”
Leadership and scrutiny during COVID
Harris, who grew up in Statesville, has led the Mecklenburg department since 2017.
As the county’s point person on COVID-19, she has kept the public informed about key decisions around mask mandates, business closures and the effort to vaccinate the community.
“She’s probably the most powerful person in our community right now,” Susan Harden, a county commissioner, told the Observer in an April 2020 profile of Harris. “The buck stops with her.”
Mecklenburg County first declared a state of emergency related to the coronavirus pandemic in mid-March 2020, just a few days after the statewide state of emergency was announced. The news came as the county saw its first four confirmed cases of the coronavirus.
Later in March, under Harris’ guidance, Mecklenburg was one of the first N.C. counties to issue a stay-at-home order to residents. Days later, the state followed suit.
Harris has pushed for mask wearing and social distancing throughout the pandemic, critiquing some local businesses in the summer of 2020 where videos or photos showed crowds of people with little to no masking.
Harris’ recommendations have been under intense scrutiny during the coronavirus pandemic, pushing for caution even as some local businesses protested the local and state pandemic guidelines.
Vaccines and the Delta variant
As COVID-19 vaccines arrived in the county, Harris’ health department began offering coronavirus shots to eligible residents at Bojangles Coliseum in Charlotte. That vaccine clinic first opened in early January.
As of Wednesday, nearly half of Mecklenburg County residents have gotten at least partially vaccinated against the coronavirus, according to state numbers.
Still, health officials say that’s not enough.
In a stop in Charlotte Wednesday, Gov. Roy Cooper said North Carolinians need to get vaccinated as quickly as possible to protect themselves from the mutating virus, especially new, more contagious variants like the Delta variant.
Transition plans
On Wednesday, County Board Chair George Dunlap thanked Harris for planning for her future and “building a bench” to succeed her.
“We still have work to do, so I’m not rolling my sleeves down yet,” Harris told commissioners of her transition plans.
Washington joined the department as second in command in March 2020, just as the pandemic descended on the country.
He was previously chief epidemiologist and deputy commissioner with the Philadelphia Department of Public Health and holds degrees in biology, public health and epidemiology from the University of Pittsburgh.
“It’s an honor of mine to be part of Gibbie’s legacy here,” he said Wednesday. “...I am excited to do the work, and I am excited to work alongside an incredible team of compassionate and dedicated public health professionals in Mecklenburg County.”
This story was originally published July 7, 2021 at 11:38 PM.
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