North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Mandy Cohen, M.D. has been recognized by Modern Healthcare as one of 2019’s Top 25 Women Leaders. Modern Healthcare’s biennial recognition program honors the top women health care executives who are influencing health policy and care delivery models across the country.
“Secretary’s Cohen leadership is driven by her commitment to help North Carolinians live healthier, more productive lives,” said Governor Roy Cooper. “Her innovative leadership in areas including early childhood, fighting the opioid crisis and Medicaid transformation are critical to the health and well-being of our state and its people.”
Modern Healthcare’s Top 25 Women Leaders program honors female executives from all sectors of the health care system. The program recognizes women in a variety of leadership roles, spotlighting their administrative and professional accomplishments.
“I’m honored to be recognized along so many amazing woman leaders in health care,” said Secretary Cohen, “This award is recognizing the hard work being done by the whole DHHS team and the Cooper Administration to make a positive impact on the lives of the people we serve.”
Accomplishments from the two years that Secretary Cohen has led DHHS include:
• Securing approval of the innovative 1115 Medicaid transformation waiver clearing the way for DHHS to integrate physical and behavioral health systems helping to drive toward better whole person care for people across the state.
• Receiving federal approval to launch a ground-breaking opportunity to pilot test the impact of providing high-need Medicaid enrollees with evidence-based interventions related to housing, food, transportation and interpersonal safety designed to improve health and reduce costs. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services authorized up to $650 million in state and federal Medicaid funding for this pilot initiative.
• Implementing an Opioid Action Plan that included more than $45.5 million in grant funding to fight opioid misuse and launched an updated Controlled Substance Reporting System to help thousands of doctors identify patients at risk for opioid misuse.
• Spearheading an Early Childhood Action Plan that presents a bold vision for better outcomes for North Carolina’s children from birth through age 8, with partners and stakeholders across the state.
The profiles of all the winners are featured in the Feb. 18, 2019 print issue of Modern Healthcare.