Dr. Raymond Crowel retired this month after 22 years with the Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services and was its director since June of 2019.
During Black History Month, he spoke to myMCM about helping guide residents through the pandemic, homelessness, the mental health of young people and the opioid epidemic.
Crowel is proud of his role as one of three Black males who oversaw so many health issues that affect this county’s very diverse population. He worked alongside former Health Officer Dr. Travis Gayles and Dr. James Bridgers, chief of the county’s public health services.
The Gaithersburg resident is a clinical psychologist and has a private practice in Silver Spring. During his lengthy career, he helped form policy at the local, state and federal level.
Crowel told MCM that he did receive “some horrendous hate mail” while director of DHHS but not to the extent that Gayles did. “I got a little of that, but it was nothing like Travis faced,” he said, attributing that partly to Gayles being the county’s lead during the pandemic on such issues as closing schools, wearing masks and getting vaccinated.
While retired from his county position, Crowel has no intention of slowing down. He hopes to travel with his wife, see the family and friends he wasn’t able to during the pandemic amd because of his busy schedule and get back into his hobby of photography.
