No details have been given about the resignation of Human Services Commissioner Kimberley Causey-Gomez, who recently notified Government House of her intent to leave the post once a replacement has been named.
Government House Communications Director Richard Motta confirmed Causey-Gomez will be leaving but did not say more about potential nominees or how far along the administration is in the process of finding one.
Causey-Gomez was tapped to lead the department during Gov. Albert Bryan Jr.’s first term, spearheading during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic the distribution of pandemic electronic benefit cards for students and families, along with the care of senior citizens at Human Services-run facilities. In January, the department announced it had conducted the first-ever Health Information Exchange to garner data that could be shared between healthcare agencies and hospitals and provide real-time access to critical patient information.
Most recently, Causey-Gomez also launched a revamp of the department’s Head Start system, with capital projects and programs on all three islands already underway.
However, the department’s short-staffing in the past year has pushed chronic challenges to the forefront, including the management of federal funds. Previous Senate hearings, particularly the summer budget run, highlighted what lawmakers called “inefficiencies” within Human Services, from a lack of supplies within senior care facilities to a burgeoning waiting list for the Meals on Wheels program at a time when the territory’s unsheltered population is increasing.
