Iowa Department of Health and Human Services Director Kelly Garcia has resigned and will leave the agency in October, ending nearly six years of service at its helm.

Garcia joined the state in November 2019 after Gov. Kim Reynolds appointed her to lead what was then the Iowa Department of Human Services. She was additionally appointed interim director of the Iowa Department of Public Health in June 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, before assuming leadership of both agencies and eventually merging them at Reynolds' direction.

“Serving as the inaugural Director of Iowa’s Department of Health and Human Services has been a profound privilege,” Garcia said. “I’m deeply proud of our work to support Iowa’s families, from strengthening child protective services to improving health care access,

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