DHHS director Elizabeth Hertel stepping down

LANSING, MI (WKZO AM/FM) – Michigan Department of Health and Human Services director Elizabeth Hertel is stepping down on June 30th.

She has been the director since January 2021.

In her time at DHHS, the department has designed a pair of state-of-the-art psychiatric hospitals, expanded the behavioral health continuum of care, reduced the overdose death rate in Michigan by 47%, and protected access to Medicaid and SNAP.

Governor Gretchen Whitmer praised Hertel’s leadership, noting the state was able to “navigate unprecedented challenges, expanded access to health care, strengthened behavioral health services, and improved outcomes for families across our state.”