Despite a “mountain of expertise,” Dr. Teresa Cullen will not lead the Arizona Department of Health Services after Gov. Katie Hobbs withdrew her nomination on Tuesday. blew up at a hearing by Republican lawmakers on measures taken by Pima County on .

The Democratic governor countered that they should be “ashamed” of the “harassment”.

Hobbs withdrew Cullen’s nomination, but Senate Republican leaders said the move had not been submitted to their secretaries on the floor and voted on Tuesday to reject her nomination.

Instead of taking over the state government post, Karen remains head of the Pima County Health Department.

In December, Cullen was one of several people appointed by Hobbes to head a statewide agency. But while some candidates moved forward, Republicans on the state Senate’s newly formed director nominating committee after long and controversial hearings about Pima County’s efforts to curb the spread of COVID. Karen’s shift from Tucson to Phoenix is ​​derailed after the umpire voted against her. 19.

Cullen said Tuesday afternoon that he would withdraw his nomination and continue to serve as county health director.

“I was honored to be hired as Pima County Health Commissioner and honored to be considered to lead the state’s public health agency,” Karen said. By the way, I love being Pima County Public Health Commissioner and I have a lot of work to do to make Pima County one of the healthiest counties in the country.”

Hobbes defended Cullen’s expertise and sharply criticized state Republicans.

“While we are deeply concerned that Dr. Cullen has declined the nomination for AzDHS Director, we understand and respect her decision,” Hobbes said. “The way some Republicans have acted on the state Senate nomination committee is nothing less than harassment, and those who participated in it should be ashamed of their actions. All of us should.”

“Her actions and decisions have saved countless lives during the COVID-19 pandemic,” Hobbes said. “In December 2022, Arizona became the state with the highest number of deaths from his COVID per capita in the nation. lived and led directly to being with us today.”

COVID-19 has killed nearly 33,000 people in Arizona, with 452 deaths per 100,000 in the state. This is the worst percentage in the country.

However, this varies greatly by county.

In Mojave County, the death rate reached 763 per 100,000, and in Navajo County it reached nearly 897 per 100,000. Pima County, on the other hand, has the lowest mortality rate in the state, with about 403 deaths per 100,000 people.

To date, Pima County has reported 313,914 cases and 4,275 deaths from COVID-19. according to to ADHS numbers.

“But even with this mountain of expertise and an immeasurable track record of public health success, some lawmakers have criticized unscrupulous individuals over tweets thanking frontline health workers a few years ago. I decided that I should join the attack and the criticism,” Hobbes wrote. “This is not only silly, it undermines the important work at hand.”

Installed by Republican leaders, the Senate committee is headed by Queen Creek Republican Senator Jake Hoffman, a member of the far-right Arizona Liberal caucus.

At the hearing, Hoffman blamed Karen for an increase in “depression” and “suicide” among children as schools closed early in the pandemic. Hoffman also claimed that “thousands” of jobs were lost as Pima County asked businesses to comply with his state and local COVID-19 regulations.

“I don’t have a good reaction to you. I just know there were a lot of moving parts and I was making decisions about what I believed was best to save lives.” Asked by Hoffman about implementing school closures, Karen claimed Hoffman had a “complex” problem of depression and suicide.

Karen also faced criticism for the curfew introduced in Pima County during the pandemic. ruled in violation of state lawHoffman and Senator Janae Schamp, R-Surprise, both called Karen “arrogant”, adding that Hoffman felt like Karen was treating businesses as if they were “below” her.

Hoffmann and Shampoo Strong opposition to COVID lockdownvaccines and other pandemic public health measures.

Senate Minority Leader Raquel Terran (D-Phoenix) said the governor removed Cullen’s name from the candidate list on Tuesday, but Senate Speaker Warren Petersen (R-Gilbert) said Hobbes said no decision had been submitted and ordered a vote to be held. with the senator.

Cullen’s nomination was defeated in a vote. No recorded ballot was held.

ADHS has no permanent leader since Dr. Cara Christ retired in August 2021 to work at Blue Cross Blue Shield in Arizona. Christo was replaced by Don Harrington, who served as interim manager until his retirement. Jenny Kuniko, Deputy Director of Operations, now heads the agency across the state.

Cullen, 68, led the Pima County Health Department during most of the COVID-19 pandemic after taking the top job in June 2020. Deputy Surgeon General. During that time, she also held several roles with the Indian Health Service, including as the agency’s chief information officer and clinical director at Sells Hospital in Tohono Oddam Nation. I worked in the local hospital and in San Xavier in the Tohono Oodum Nation.

In 2014, Karen ran Sierra Leone’s only obstetric Ebola clinic. This makes him one of only 1,500 US civilian volunteers sent to the area during the pandemic.

Last year, Karen received the Public Health Service Award from ADHS and the Arizona Medical Association for her “tremendous and unwavering commitment, expertise and compassion in responding to the pandemic locally, regionally and statewide.”

The Arizona Public Health Association endorsed Karen’s nomination, and the group’s executive director, Will Humble, himself a former director of ADHS, called last week’s hearing “to determine the eligibility of candidates for important jobs.” It’s more like an indictment than a hearing to find out.”

“A loss for the state is a gain for Pima County.”

Pima County Official Kudos to Karen for her leadershipand said that under her patronage, Pima County is “a national leader in pandemic response, mitigation, vaccination, and recovery.”

“Through her inspired departmental leadership in a historic era, her tireless work ethic, and most importantly her big heart, I have earned the right to continue as County Health Commissioner,” Lescher said in a statement. I did,’ he said.

“Terry Cullen deeply cares about the health and well-being of all County residents,” said Lesser. We hired her because she has had a successful career and is one of the best public health doctors in the country. She is, as is her career. Of course, we want her to continue to lead her public health agency. ”

Adelita Grijalva, chairman of the Pima County Board of Supervisors, said she was disappointed that “a Republican majority chose to assassinate Dr. Cullen’s lamentably long character before rejecting her nomination on party policy.” Stated.

“A loss for the state is a gain for Pima County,” Grijalva said. “We are proud of our response to the COVID-19 pandemic and of Dr. Cullen’s excellent leadership. We had the lowest infection and mortality rates of most counties and the highest vaccination coverage.”

“All I ever wanted to do was prevent suffering, help people live healthier lives, and treat people with respect and dignity. I still have the opportunity to do that in Pima County. I’m glad there is,” Karen said.