Mark Ghaly, California’s health and human services secretary, to depart from role

SACRAMENTO – California Health and Human Services Secretary Dr. Mark Ghaly, who has led the agency since March 2019 and through the COVID pandemic, is departing from the role at the end of the month. 
In an announcement Friday, Gov. Gavin Newsom said Ghaly will stay in the role through the end of the month to help with the transition of his successor, California Department of Social Services Kim Johnson. 
“For more than five years at the helm of CalHHS, [Ghaly’s] visionary and compassionate leadership and unwavering focus on protecting the most vulnerable among us has seen our state through unprecedented challenges and historic victories that improve the lives of Californians,” Newsom said in a statement. 
Ghaly helped the state’s COVID-19 pandemic response and pushed forward initiatives that included addressing affordability and access to health care.
Newsom’s statement said Ghaly also addressed how the state supports behavioral health for children and launched CalRX, an initiative that makes medications such as insulin and naloxone more affordable. 
Johnson will become the next CalHHS secretary on Oct. 1. She has led the California Department of Social Services since July 2019.