Pa.’s health secretary wins Senate confirmation to the post on 2nd try

After 18 months as serving as the acting head of Pennsylvania’s Department of Health, Dr. Debra Bogen is now the state’s health secretary.

Bogen, a pediatrician and former head of the Allegheny County Health Department, won Senate confirmation on Tuesday by a 42-8 bipartisan vote.

“I look forward to continuing to focus on improving health and wellness of Pennsylvanians and working with the incredible team of public health professionals at the Department of Health and in collaboration with our sister state agencies,” she said in a statement.

Gov. Josh Shapiro hailed her success leading the department, saying in a statement she has worked to ensure all Pennsylvanians have access to care and pointed specifically to her work with local physicians to lead the public health response to the Norfolk Southern train derailment in East Palestine that impacted Pennsylvanians.

He also highlighted the department’s work under Bogen’s leadership to create a Long-Term Care Transformation Office to invest in long-term care facility improvements and staff training; establishing a Division of Maternal Health Services to focus on maternal health, particularly for Black women; launching a $1 million tuition assistance program to help recruit and retain EMS professionals; and taking action to limit access to xylazine, a powerful sedative found increasingly in illicit drugs.

Despite those achievements, Bogen’s support for masking and restrictions on large gatherings among other mitigation strategies during the covid-19 pandemic were among the concerns that contributed to her failure to win Senate confirmation last year, causing her nomination to be withdrawn and leaving her to hold the role in an acting capacity.

Those concerns still rest on the minds of some senators, including Sen. Greg Rothman, R-Cumberland and Perry counties, who spoke of “how badly the government’s draconian response to covid hurt our children. Dr. Bogen supported those harmful policies without regret. For that reason, I did not believe she was the right person to lead our health department. However, at this point, I wish her success and will work with her on behalf of the people of our commonwealth.”

Sen. Chris Gebhard, R-Lebanon County, also opposed her confirmation but for a different reason. He pointed to the difficult relationship U.S. Steel had with the Allegheny County health department under Bogen’s leadership, saying it contributed to the company’s decision to locate a new plant in Arkansas.

“I think her strengths do not match up with what I value as a priority to head up the state Department of Health at this current moment,” Gebhard said.

Before joining the county health department, Bogen worked in the Pittsburgh region medical and research community for more than two decades. She earned her medical degree from the University of Colorado School of Medicine and completed her residency and general academic pediatric fellowship at Johns Hopkins Hospital. She was one of the founders of the Mid-Atlantic Mothers’ Milk Bank and served as its volunteer medical director until taking her position with the state.