Hours after Ohio Governor Mike DeWine announced the appointment of the state's new Health Director, Doctor Joan Duwve withdrew, citing personal reasons.
In a press release Thursday night, the governor's office said the search for a new director will continue. Duwve, who is the director of public health for the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control, would have been only the second woman to ever head the Ohio Health Department. The first, Doctor Amy Acton, stepped down this summer following criticism from conservative Republicans over her public health orders during the coronavirus pandemic.
Interim director Lance Himes will continue to fill that role while the search continues.
