ORANGE COUNTY: Health Care Agency Lands New Director
Donald Oxley, former vice president and executive director for Kaiser Foundation Health Plan and Hospitals in Cleveland, OH, takes over as the new head of Orange County's Health Care Agency today. Oxley was selected for the job because he is "someone who could help change an agency 'in a creative, yet collaborative way,'" according to county CEO Jan Mittermeier. Oxley is also a former executive of Children's Hospital in Los Angeles and former administrator at Los Angeles County's Department of Health Services. Samuel Roth, spokesperson for the Orange County Medical Association, "was optimistic about Oxley's selection," noting that he had "both a public and private background in health care." Roth said, "In a county with no county hospital, which relies on private hospitals and clinics, the mix of experience we understand he has should provide for real creativity and potential for furthering the public-private partnership." In addition, Roth said that "Oxley has an opportunity to come in and build his own team," noting that there has "been a major turnover in the leadership of the Health Care Agency in the last 18 months" (see past coverage). For his part, Oxley said he does not envision making "sweeping changes" initially. "I have a lot to learn about the county and the agency," he said. "As the new director, I assume that we're starting with a clean slate, learning the organization and government and people in the community and trying to get a sense of what the issues are and finding a way to go about it," he added (Reyes, Los Angeles Times, 1/14). Click here for previous coverage of the county's Health Care Agency.
This is part of the California Healthline Daily Edition, a summary of health policy coverage from major news organizations. Sign up for an email subscription.