Natalia Chi
her boss City Hall An absentee ballot was cast. The police chief left. But the doctor who advised the people of Chicago about how we should live, COVID-19 Pandemic is still here and has no plans to resign.
“I’m sure there are people who are unhappy with me and my department, but in general, we’ve done our best to be transparent and open with the people of Chicago,” he said. I’m here. Dr. Alison Alwadi City public health commissioner.
Arwady says she loves her job and will stay if the next mayor wants her.
Public health is what she does and wants to continue, she says.
“I will never run for public office,” she says. “May God bless those who do.”
The world has slowed down considerably since the frantic early days of the pandemic, when Arwady was scrolling through his “unruly” email inbox every morning. That was followed by a conference call with her staff and her Facebook Live question-and-answer session, where she answered the same questions over and over again from concerned Chicagoans.
These days, Arwady spends about 10% of his time directly dealing with COVID, but he spends more time working on the ‘effects’ of the disease: mental health issues, substance abuse, and: funds to maintain measures she says have improved Chicago’s preparedness for the pandemic. come.
“I’m really worried about that,” she says of the funding. “This country has a history of funding public health in boom-bust ways.”
Early in the pandemic, Alwadi says a “random Chicagoan” approached her and asked for medical advice.
However, some of the public contacts she got were disturbing.
“I got some horrific emails at home,” she says. “There are a lot of people who aren’t really happy with public health leaders, including people who don’t live in Chicago.”
As a result, she traveled with security details early in the pandemic.
Arwady says he tested positive for coronavirus only once last August.
She still drives her L, always has her mask on hand, and leads walks and river tours of Chicago’s architecture as she did pre-pandemic, but she’s not as recognized as before. yeah. It doesn’t matter, she says.
“I never wanted to be recognized on the street, not because I was sick,” she says.
Alwadi, who studied at Harvard, Yale, and Columbia, said she would be disappointed if anyone who takes office doesn’t want her to stay.
However, she said: I received many calls and was asked, “Are you interested in this or that role?” I really like what I’m doing here, so I turned down all those considerations for now. ”
