Gov. Rick Scott announced Monday that Dr. John Armstrong, his hand-picked surgeon general and secretary of the Department of Health (DOH), will stay on in his administration for at least another year.
As a medical professional and expert in public health preparedness, Dr. Armstrong has dedicated his life to serving others, Scott said on Monday.
He has been a great leader at DOH, and has worked each day to support public health goals, link Floridians to needed health care services, and educate communities on good health habits. Dr. Armstrong has also taken every possible step to ensure our state and hospitals are fully prepared to handle any potential cases of Ebola. I am confident he will continue to work toward improving the health and wellness of our state as we make Florida the best place to live, work and raise a family, concluded the governor.
First appointed in May 2012 and reappointed in 2013, Armstrong enjoyed a relatively quiet period in office until 2014, when he was called upon to deliver his opinion during the medical marijuana debate in the Florida Legislature.
The surgeon general invoked the ire of patients' families during his testimony, warning against adopting any law that would legalize even the mildest form of cannabis therapy for severely epileptic children. "We must be wary of unintended consequences and remember that first we must do no harm," Armstrong told the House Judiciary Committee, which voted 15-3 to support the bill anyway.
Early in the worldwide Ebola crisis he worked with the governor to prepare the Sunshine State.Beginning in October, he made sure mandatory Ebola training programs were established in all hospitals to protect health care professionals. To date, 160 of 210 hospitals from every region of the state have completed the training.
We are thankful we do not have a case of Ebola in Florida and we hope we never do. Our top priority is making sure that all of our residents and visitors stay safe, said Armstrong. The CDCs list of Ebola Ready hospitals does not take into account that Florida hospitals began preparing for Ebola months ago so that every hospital in Florida is prepared to treat an Ebola patient. ..."
It is an honor to have the opportunity to continue my service to the state of Florida as state surgeon general and secretary of DOH, Armstrong said. We are committed to working with Gov. Scott and communities across the state in order to protect and promote the health of all Floridians.
The reappointment won the applause of the Florida Medical Association (FMA) leadership. Tim Stapleton, the FMAs executive vice president, cheered the news on Monday.
On behalf of the more than 20,000 physicians represented by the Florida Medical Association, we are thrilled to congratulate Dr. John Armstrong on his reappointment by Gov. Rick Scott to serve as Floridas surgeon general and DOH secretary, Stapleton said. A longtime member of the FMA, Dr. Armstrongs continued commitment to the health, safety and welfare of all Floridians under Gov. Scotts vision serves as an incredible example not only of his leadership, but also of his understanding of emerging trends in health care policies and emergency preparedness. Congratulations, General Armstrong.
Armstrong, part of an Army family, was born in Montana but lived in Cambodia, Hawaii and 12 more states before pursuing an economics degree at Princeton and attending medical school at the University of Virginia. He spent most of his career in the U.S. Army Medical Corps.
When the governor tapped him in 2012, Armstrong had spent six years at the University of South Florida, either as a professor or as the chief medical officer for its Center for Advanced Medical Learning and Simulation in Tampa. His real home, he says, is Ocala.
His wife, a native Ocalan, is an opthalmologist. They have a 12-year-old son.
I think the governor wanted a strong leader with experience in disaster readiness and with expertise in health policy related to the emerging Affordable Care Act, Armstrong said when he was appointed in 2012. He was looking for somebody who was going to look at the Department of Health through a new lens.
Reach Kevin Derby at kderby@sunshinestatenews.com or follow him on Twitter: @KevinDerbySSN. Reach Nancy Smith at nsmith@sunshinestatenews.com or at 228-282-2423. Twitter: NancyLBSmith.
