To fill vacancies created by retirements over the next three weeks, County Executive Robert P. Astorino today named two acting commissioners.
- Dr. Grant Mitchell, the commissioner of Community Mental Health, will take on added duties as acting commissioner of the Department of Social Services (DSS). He will fill the vacancy created by the departure of Kevin Mahon, who has been commissioner for 12 years and is retiring July 29.
- Dr. Kunjlata Ashar, presently first deputy medical examiner, will become acting commissioner of the Department of Labs and Research and acting medical examiner. She will replace Dr. Millard Hyland, who has held the post for 27 years and will be retiring Aug. 13.
Neither Mitchell nor Ashar will be given added pay for taking on new responsibilities.
In June, former Transportation Commissioner Lawrence Salley retired. The three are among the more than 300 county employees who have so far left county service, or are about to leave, under either the county's voluntary separation program or the state's early retirement incentive.
"In Drs. Mitchell and Ashar, we have two outstanding people to take charge of these departments while we assess our long-term needs," said Astorino. "In filling these positions, we will also be looking closely at how these departments are currently organized and what steps can possibly be taken to make sure resources are aligned to provide the best services at the best cost."
"To Kevin Mahon and Millard Hyland, I say thank you for jobs well done," Astorino added. "They are professionals. It was a pleasure to have worked with them, even for this short time. I thank them for their service to my administration and the many years they gave to the county prior to that."
SOCIAL SERVICES
Mitchell, who is a board-certified physician in psychiatry and neurology, has been commissioner of Community Mental Health since 2007. As such, he oversees a budget of $70 million. The department serves individuals and families affected by mental illness, developmental disabilities and substance abuse. During Mitchell's tenure, several department programs have received awards and national recognition for improving the quality of care while reducing costs. Prior to his appointment as commissioner, Mitchell served as chief of Behavioral Health at Northern Westchester Hospital Center, where he was responsible for the management of all departmental activities.
In the course of his county work, he has already been involved with programs related to his new responsibilities with DSS. For example, he implemented an innovative care coordination program to improve healthcare and reduce costs in a population with high Medicaid expenditures and poor health outcomes.
"I want to thank the County Executive for his support and Commissioner Mahon for his leadership of the social services department," said Mitchell. "The focus of the Department of Community Mental Health has been on implementing innovative approaches to delivering services. I look forward to building on the successes of DSS."
In summing up his years as commissioner, Mahon said, "This has been a great county to work for. I thank the two county executives for whom I have worked for the opportunity and thank the dedicated staff of the department. We have changed through the years: we moved many of our families from welfare to work, improved and enhanced our child welfare services, reduced our homeless population and increased our child support collections. But whatever the change, we have continued to be a safety net to help many individuals, families and particularly children."
LABS & RESEARCH/MEDICAL EXAMINER'S OFFICE
Ashar received her training in anatomic pathology and began working on a per-diem basis for the medical examiner's office in New York City and Westchester in 1983. She took a full-time job with Westchester's Medical Examiner's Office in 1988 and became deputy medical examiner in 2001 and first deputy in 2008.
"I am looking forward to serving as the acting pathologist and medical examiner and overseeing the operations of the Department of Labs and Research and helping the county and the department work through the challenges of the current economic environment," she said.
Dr. Hyland said: "It has been a unique experience being the medical examiner as well as directing labs, handling everything from crime material to bioterrorist micro-organisms. When I first arrived, the department was squeezed into five rented rooms and a morgue. Now 27 years later, we have a modern up-to-date lab that analyzes materials from crime scenes to drinking water, to identification of life-threatening viruses and beyond. Dr. Ashar has been with the department for more than 20 years.
She is capable and reliable."