BOSTON,M.A.-A physician who has spent much of her career treating to the most impoverished residents in Massachusetts head at the state’s Department of Public Health. Dr. Monica Bharel , chief medical officer at the Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program, has been tapped by Governor-elect Charlie Baker as the next state health commissioner. The appointment elated health advocates, who said the 44-year-old Bharel...
has demonstrated an unwavering commitment to improving the lives of the state’s homeless and most vulnerable, stretching back two decades to her days in medical school,the Boston Globe reported. Bharel, who is on the faculty at Harvard Medical School and Boston University School of Medicine, will lead of one of the state’s most troubled agencies. With more than 3,000 employees and a $540 million budget, the department regulates hospitals, nursing homes, and myriad other facilities, in addition to running more than 100 programs addressing everything from infectious diseases to substance abuse. Lyndia Downie, president of Pine Street Inn, one of the region’s largest homeless shelters,told the Boston Globe Bharel is extraordinarily analytical and data driven — a “systems thinker,” but with a very human touch. When she treats homeless patients, she is “nonjudgmental, engaging, and easy to work with,” Downie said.
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