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Pennsylvania Department of Health Secretary Dr. Rachel Levine speaks during a press conference inside PEMA headquarters on Wednesday, Dec. 30, 2020.
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Dr. Rachel Levine inspired, enraged Pennsylvanians with actions that led Biden to name her for key post

Natalie Kolb / Commonwealth Media Services

Dr. Rachel Levine inspired, enraged Pennsylvanians with actions that led Biden to name her for key post

HARRISBURG — In the politically charged atmosphere surrounding COVID-19, or any public role in America today, it seems impossible for a leader to come out unscathed.

So it is with Dr. Rachel Levine, who led Pennsylvania’s response to the COVID-19 crisis as secretary of health.

Criticism of Dr. Levine stems mostly from COVID-19 driven restrictions on businesses, actions related to nursing homes and the level of COVID-19 testing in the state.

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But she also impressed people around the country, as evidenced by her selection as President Joe Biden’s assistant secretary of health, a critical role given Mr. Biden’s pledge to make addressing COVID-19 a top priority. She stands to become the first openly transgender official to be confirmed by the U.S. Senate.

Then-Pennsylvania Department of Health Secretary Dr. Rachel Levine speaks during a press conference inside PEMA headquarters on Monday, Jan. 11, 2021.
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Deb Fulham-Winston of Cumberland County became an admirer of Dr. Levine while watching daily briefings on the status of the pandemic in Pennsylvania. She calls her “extraordinary.”

Ms. Fulham-Winston believes Gov. Tom Wolf made a wise decision by giving Dr. Levine, the health expert, center stage to face the news media and live online audiences.

“She was on point, on message, making the message incredibly clear for anyone who was listening,” she said. In the view of Ms. Fulham-Winston, 68, and a member of Carlisle Borough Council, delivering a sound, consistent message is the key to addressing the pandemic, and something that was lacking at the federal level.

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She also noticed the hateful, transphobic remarks Dr. Levine endured after entering the daily spotlight and having to explain state actions that caused hardships for some Pennsylvanians. Dr. Levine received extra state police protection. Her public reaction was minimal, although she once addressed it at the start of a briefing, saying, “I have no room in my heart for hatred and, frankly, I do not have time for intolerance.”

Ms. Fulham-Winston believes Dr. Levine showed uncommon calm, strength and grace. She asked, “What more can you ask for from a public figure?”

Dr. Raghavendra Tirupathi, a Pennsylvania infectious disease specialist, doubts any modern Pennsylvania health secretary was “put through so much scrutiny and stress.”

He believes Dr. Levine did a “reasonably good job,” with some “holes” in her record. One flaw, he said, may involve testing, with data suggesting testing has not been as robust in Pennsylvania as some other states.

In this file photo, Rachel Levine, nominated to be an assistant secretary at the Department of Health and Human Services, testifies before the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions committee on Capitol Hill in Washington. Voting mostly along party lines, the U.S. Senate on March 24, confirmed Dr. Levine to be assistant secretary of health.
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At one point in the pandemic, nearly 70% of Pennsylvania’s deaths involved residents of nursing homes and other long-term care facilities. That prompted scrutiny of the Levine-backed decision to allow people who had been hospitalized with COVID-19 to return to or enter long term care facilities. Republican U.S. Rep. Steve Scalise of Louisiana called the action “a death sentence for thousands of Pennsylvanians.”

U.S. House Republicans made similar charges regarding four other states — all led by Democrats. Moreover, former President Donald Trump’s administration had said facilities should accept everyone they normally would, provided they felt they could safely care for them and carry out steps such as infection control and quarantine. Reporting by PennLive, including interviews of the two associations representing Pennsylvania long-term facilities, found no examples of facilities being forced to take people against their will. Beyond that, COVID-19 took a major toll in long-term care facilities all over the country

Dr. Tirupathi, who is the medical director of Keystone Infectious Diseases and chair of infection prevention at WellSpan Chambersburg Hospital, calls it a “very complicated, not a one size fits all situation … a very difficult question to answer.”

He said hospitals were under pressure to discharge patients who no longer needed acute care, but there’s a lack of non-hospital settings for them to continue to recover. He said there’s a need for a national investigation looking into how it was handled all over the country, to learn what can be done better in the next pandemic.

Chuck Kray is a veteran Pennsylvania pharmacist who works closely with the state. He said of Dr. Levine: “Overall, I think she did a really good job.”

This past week was a bad time to pose that question to Mr. Kray. He was reeling from Dr. Levine’s decision, in response to a federal recommendation, to open vaccination up to everyone over 64 and younger adults with chronic medical issues or high-risk conditions. Local pharmacists such as Mr. Kray said they were blindsided, left to deal with a deluge of demand for vaccines and not nearly enough doses.

While Mr. Kray puts much of the blame on the federal government, he also says Dr. Levine should have consulted with local pharmacists and others who administer doses, so they could make the needed changes to things such as their telephone answering systems and websites and otherwise prepare for the demand.

Dr. Levine has been criticized for the vaccine rollout going too slowly. State Sen. Judy Ward, R-Blair, notes that other states have given vaccines more quickly and more broadly than Pennsylvania.

“Secretary Levine has demonstrated poise at the microphone during news conferences, but her policies have left Pennsylvanians with many questions about her abilities,” Ms. Ward said last week.

Perhaps the harshest criticism has come from some business leaders, especially bar and restaurant operators, who contend Dr. Levine’s restrictions aren’t backed by science. Many Pennsylvania restaurants have gone out of business, with industry leaders arguing some states are making it through the pandemic with far less harm to their establishments.

Dr. Levine has highlighted studies and experts who contend settings such as bars and restaurants, which are often cramped and poorly ventilated, and where people tend to talk loudly, are prime environments for COVID-19 spread. Dr. Levine and other experts say restaurants pose different challenges than retail stores, for example, where people are walking around to shop and aren’t seated for an hour or two.

Pennsylvania’s Levine-led response received a strong endorsement last fall when Dr. Deborah Birx, then the federal coronavirus response coordinator, visited Pennsylvania. She said the restrictions are backed by scientific models which show that, in the face of surging cases, limiting restaurants to 25% of capacity, closing bars, face masking in public and refraining from backyard barbecues, will cause the infection level to shrink rather than grow.

In fact, those tactics have the same impact as a shelter in place order, according to Dr. Birx, who said they were used across the South last summer to control the virus without shutting down the economy.

Of Pennsylvania’s effort, she said, “I never give anyone an A, but I think they’re close to a B-plus, A-minus range, a really terrific job.”

Ms. Fulham-Winston, the Cumberland County resident, believes a case can be made, based on things such as the recent leveling off of new infections and hospitalizations in Pennsylvania, that the state has done better than most. That surely reflects well on Dr. Levine.

“More people are alive because of her,” Ms. Fulham-Winston said.

Mr. Wolf has said Dr. Levine will be sorely missed in his administration. The governor noted Dr. Levine’s role in helping to establish the state’s medical marijuana program and her efforts to combat opioid addiction. He also hailed Dr. Levine for bringing attention to the health needs of the LGBTQ community.

“She has been a wise and dedicated partner during this pandemic and throughout her career with the commonwealth,” Mr. Wolf said. “I couldn’t be prouder of the tireless work she’s done to serve Pennsylvanians and protect the public health.”

First Published: January 24, 2021, 5:00 a.m.

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