An overdose crisis, the ongoing pandemic, monkeypox and abortion rights — health care is top of mind in California.
On Gov. Gavin Newsom’s first day in office in January 2019, he announced that he was creating the position of state surgeon general, which exists in only a few other states. California’s head physician would advise the governor, be a statewide health spokesperson and help “solve our most pressing health challenges with surgical focus,” Newsom said in his executive order.
She said strengthening access to reproductive health care was particularly important as the state becomes a refuge for people seeking abortions nationwide after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. And the pandemic has taken a serious toll on young adults’ mental health, with more than three-quarters in California reporting anxiety in the past year.
Ramos said that growing up in South Central Los Angeles made her well aware of how problems in a community — such as food insecurity, domestic violence and shootings — could be major public health problems. She said she hoped her background could help her address some of these issues, though she’s still in the early stages of figuring out how to do so.