Dr. Gail Newel is the health officer who helped steer Santa Cruz County through the pandemic. Now, after four years at the helm, she's retiring.
"I'm slightly sleep deprived so, looking forward to being able to nap," Newel told KAZU.
She says medicine has always been part of her life. Growing up in Freson, CA, her father was a pediatrician. She discovered her own passion for medicine as an undergraduate while studying abroad in Honduras, where she worked in a remote hospital.
"I accidentally got to deliver a baby during that time," Newel said. "And it was an experience that changed my whole trajectory."
Many more were to come. Newel would continue on to become an OB/GYN, an educator and researcher.
"I delivered over 10,000 babies," she said. "Most of them in the Central Valley, although I've delivered a few in San Benito County and Santa Cruz County."
She began her public health career in 2013, eventually relocating from her home in the Central Valley to Santa Cruz.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Jerimiah Oetting (JO): It sounds like you felt like things were supposed to slow down for you when you came out, and that was anything but the case. So, what are you most proud of during your time as our public health officer?
Gail Newel (GN): We have a very low death rate from COVID, and I'm very proud of that. We have a death rate, (less than) half that of the state of California ... and less than a third of the national death rate.
Additionally, I'm very proud of our vaccination efforts. We put a lot of our money and energy into the South County, and we've been held up at a state level now as an example of equity.
JO: I've heard you say a couple of times that you felt that you were in the right place at the right time to answer the call of this pandemic. What made you feel prepared for it?
GN: Certainly 30-plus years of clinical medicine was a great background and foundation for this. But I think also have had a lot of life experiences that made it possible for me to communicate clearly. I feel very strongly that government employees have a responsibility to the public to be truthful and communicate the information that they know. It's not something that should be hidden away.
JO: With all of the baggage that comes with that. There was a lot of vitriol and anger directed at you and your colleague, Mimi Hall. Did that change for you, how you felt about this community?
GN: Well, certainly it was frightening for me. And in particular, when a member of our community took the life of one of our sheriff's deputies in the line of duty, that same individual had personally threatened me and Mimi Hall. And so that really drove the danger home. We had to make very calculated decisions about how we were going to be present in the community and what we were going to say — still wanting very much to be open and honest and equitable in our approaches.
JO: I wanted to ask about the Pen/Benenson Courage Award that you were awarded in 2021. Now, this award is usually given to activists. How did it feel to earn this award, you and your colleague Mimi Hall, for doing the jobs that you did during the pandemic?
GN: I would have to say that that's the Cinderella moment of my life. We got to go to New York City and wear fancy gowns and have our hair and makeup done and and hung out in the green room with Awkwafina and Lin-Manuel Miranda. I mean, it was magical. So that was very special. And being in that room and being able to tell my story to a couple of thousand people under the great blue Whale in the Natural History Museum in New York City was was almost indescribably fantastic.
JO: So as you step aside from your role in Santa Cruz County, what do you see as the biggest public health challenges moving forward for our community?
GN: We do have some areas that we stand out in, and a lot of that has to do with substance use. So I think everyone knows about our problem with fentanyl and opioid overdoses. And, you know, I was personally impacted by that here in Santa Cruz. My son died of an opioid overdose in 2016 here in Santa Cruz. So we need to find a way to balance our acceptance and embrace of personal freedoms with the risks associated with that.
Dr. Gail Newel is Santa Cruz County's health officer. Her last public appearance as health officer will provide an update of the County’s current health status followed by a moderated Q&A.
To register for the event, please visit: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_O7DIHs3XTcauPRSxwSZWag#/registration. A recording of the event will also be made available later at www.santacruzhealth.org.
Santa Cruz County is expected to announce Dr. Gail Newel's replacement next week.
