INDIANAPOLIS, August 19, 2005 - St.Vincent Health is pleased to announce the recent appointment of Katie Humphreys as St.Vincent Health Vice President of Government Relations. Humphreys will lead the newly-created Division of Government Relations and work in concert with the health system’s current Director of Government Relations and Public Policy, Jean Farison. Humphreys and Farison will work together to develop public policy advocacy plans and relationships with external organizations and individuals to meet policy objectives.
“Katie’s experience in public policy is a great asset for our health system,” explained St.Vincent Health Chief Executive Officer Vincent Caponi. “As a non-profit Catholic health organization, our policy agenda underscores the need to institute permanent, stable financing of health services particularly for the uninsured and underinsured. With Katie’s assistance, we hope to work with state and federal legislators to develop solutions to this growing problem.”
Humphreys has extensive experience in health policy development and government relations, having worked in both the public and private sectors. Throughout her career, Humphreys has been appointed to numerous Indiana government positions including: Secretary of Family and Social Services Agency; Chairperson of the Governor’s Children’s Health Panel; Deputy Commissioner of the Indiana State Department of Health; State Director of Health Policy for Governor Evan Bayh; Commissioner of the State Department of Administration and Deputy Director of the Indiana State Budget Agency.
“Access to health care is a large issue at the state and federal level that will undoubtedly become more important in the future,” Humphreys explained. “I hope that I can represent St.Vincent Health in ways that serve both the mission of the organization as well as the people, and do it in a mutually beneficial way.”
###
St.Vincent Health is a health care system of 16 hospitals serving 45 counties in central Indiana and is among the largest employers in the state with 11,300 associates and 2,500 physicians. A member of Ascension Health, the nation’s largest Catholic health system, St.Vincent Health is committed to providing “Healthcare That Is Safe.” One way this is being demonstrated is through Ascension Health’s membership in the National Quality Forum created to develop and implement a national strategy for health care quality measurement and reporting.
