Miami-Dade mayor losing top COVID advisor as Dr. Paige to leave Jackson hospital

Dr. Peter Paige, a senior physician at the Jackson Health hospital system who advised Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava on COVID policies, is leaving for a post in New York.

Levine Cava announced Paige’s departure in a Twitter post Thursday afternoon.

Her first official act as mayor after being elected in November 2020 was naming Paige to the unpaid newly created post of chief medical officer to advise her on Miami-Dade’s COVID-19 response. Paige retained his position overseeing Jackson physicians as an executive vice president and chief clinical officer at the county’s public hospital system.

Paige is leaving for a post in New York to be closer to family there, Jackson’s president said in a note to employees Thursday. Paige joined Jackson in 2013 and will leave in May.

Paige usually did not join Levine Cava for her public appearances about the county’s COVID response. But he consulted with the mayor on COVID policies and emergency orders that she issued connected to mask wearing, hospital data collection and her attempt, later dropped, to require vaccinations or regular COVID-19 testing of Miami-Dade employees. In interviews and public statements, Levine Cava frequently cited Paige in explaining her decisions related to public health measures.

Miami-Dade leads Florida in vaccination rates and boasts the largest vaccination and testing network in the state. In February, Levine Cava ended mask requirements in county buildings.

“As my first act as Mayor, I was proud to appoint our first-ever Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Peter Paige,” Levine Cava wrote. “Everyday since, he has helped lead our county’s COVID-19 response responsibly and effectively, mobilizing a unified County-wide strategy.”

Levine Cava’s announcement didn’t address whether she would replace Paige with a different medical advisor.

In an afternoon note to employees, Jackson President Don Steigman called Paige a “transformational leader.”

“With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020,” Steigman wrote, “Dr. Paige was integral in developing the protocols and policies that have helped keep our patients, employees, and communities safe during a historic global health crisis.”

This story was originally published March 17, 2022 at 5:56 PM.