Department of Health director leaving Kasich administration

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Another Kasich administration cabinet member is leaving, this time Department of Health Director Dr. Ted Wymyslo.

Gov. John Kasichs press office announced Wymyslos departure today in a news release. Wymyslo will leave at the end of the month and has has decided to return to private medical practice, according to the release.

Kasich will name a replacement by the end of the month. The states health director holds a great deal of influence over whether or not abortion clinics in Ohio can stay open or must close.

The strides Ohio is making in health care are because were putting the needs of people first, and were being good stewards of Ohioans resources, Kasich said in an emailed statement. Weve done it with the help of sound thinkers with frontline experience like Dr. Wymyslo and Im sad to see him go but I respect his desire to return to his first passion, which is practicing medicine and working with patients.

Last month Environmental Protection Agency chief Scott Nally abruptly resigned from Kasichs cabinet.

Wymyslo drew fire from abortion rights supporters for ordering several abortion clinics shut down for violating Ohio law. Just last month he ordered a facility near Cincinnati closed because it did not have a valid transfer agreement required of all ambulatory surgical centers in the state with a local hospital that would agree to accept patients if necessary.

However, he also drew a bit of criticism from abortion rights opponents because he sometimes took several months merely to decide whether to uphold an abortion clinics appeal.

Shortly after the resignation became public, NARAL Pro-ChoiceOhio tweeted call Kasich NOW and tell him new dir must put health over politics.

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Department of Health director leaving Kasich administration