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Obama names rural health chief

Posted by Foon Rhee, deputy national political editor February 20, 2009 03:52 PM

With Tom Daschle's tax flame-out, President Obama does not have someone to shepherd a healthcare overhaul yet.

But today, he did name someone to focus on getting care to the uninsured and underserved.

Mary Wakefield, director of the Center for Rural Health at the University of North Dakota and described by the White House as one of the nation’s top rural healthcare professionals, will be administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration.

“As a nurse, a Ph.D., and a leading rural healthcare advocate, Mary Wakefield brings expertise that will be instrumental in expanding and improving services for those who are currently uninsured or underserved,” Obama said in a statement. “Under her leadership we will be able to expand and improve the care provided at the Community Health Centers which serve millions of uninsured Americans and address severe provider shortages across the country.”

The agency oversees community health centers across the country and programs that send doctors and nurses to underserved areas and will administer $2.5 billion in the stimulus package to improve healthcare infrastructure and train health care professionals.

Wakefield's biography, provided by the White House, is below:

Dr. Wakefield’s Bio:

Dr. Mary Wakefield was most recently the Associate Dean for Rural Health at the University of North Dakota School of Medicine and Health Sciences, where she was a tenured professor and Director of the Center for Rural Health. Dr. Wakefield has expertise in rural health care, quality and patient safety, Medicare payment policy, workforce issues, and public policy. She has authored many articles and columns on health policy and is on the editorial board of a number of professional journals.

Dr. Wakefield previously served as director of the Center for Health Policy, Research, and Ethics at George Mason University in Fairfax, VA. She also served as the Chief of Staff for United States Senator Kent Conrad (D-ND) from January 1993 to January 1996 and as Legislative Assistant and Chief of Staff to Senator Quentin Burdick (D-ND).

Dr. Wakefield has served as a member of the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission and the Department of Veteran’s Affairs’ Special Medical Advisory Group. She served as Chair of the Institute of Medicine (IOM) Committee on Health Care Quality for Rural America and of the Catholic Health Initiatives Board of Trustees, and was a subcommittee chair for President Clinton's Advisory Commission on Consumer Protection and Quality in the Health Care Industry.

Dr. Wakefield received her M.S. in nursing and her Doctor of Philosophy from the University of Texas at Austin and her B.S. in nursing from the University of Mary at Bismarck, ND. She is a fellow in the American Academy of Nursing, and is a recipient of numerous awards including the American Organization of Nurse Executives (AONE) 2006 Nurse Research Award and the 2008 Nursing Economics Margaret D. Sovie Writer's Award.

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I am so thrilled to see this under her direction. I live in a small community and countless numbers of the people I know suffer from health problems that they simply can not afford to address. One woman has a broken foot and is terrified to have it looked at for fear that the bill will devastate her already fragile family finances. Our hopes are strong re: an improved and expanded rural and community health care system. Just basic humane services will be a great start.

Posted by Rebecca Felton February 20, 09 05:03 PM
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To 'I am so thrilled' - I don't know this woman but you seem to think she can do the job. I hope others like you write their local newspapers and back her up. The media certainly won't.

Posted by susan rattray February 21, 09 01:50 AM
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A bold and gratifying choice ! I think that nurses should be choosen for leading and dircting this country in identifying health care issues to realsitic solutions and who better than nurses can perform this task admirably. I don't know Dr. Wakefield but her credentials and experience tell me she is the best chioce. Good luck and pave new, and solid roads for the communities being served by serving the people and not the politics or "influential" people.

Posted by Ron Kase February 25, 09 01:00 PM
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I am so pleased. Dr. Wakefield and President OBAMA, please convene a discussion/work group of foreign leaders in health care from France, Netherlands, Swiss countries and Canada. Ask countries to contribute ideas to help us design a health care program for universal coverage that does not recreate their "errors". Many countries have excellent coverage with shortcomings. If we put "all the cards" on the table, we should be able to construct an effective plan.

We must look at our health "apparatus" or infrastructure. We must remove the powerful "heads" of health care companies and re direct monies they are making to the direct care/delivery level. Our operations costs are paralyzing progress at the delivery level....
Please look at ways to 'tap' Nurse Practitioners. Primary Care/Internal Medicine numbers of physicians are dropping (new , incoming.). Look to Nurse Practitioners
in partnerships with physicians in the future to work together to meet the need for
primary/internal medicine care delivery. Models of this working relationship exist in the Rochester NY area. We can talk with you and discuss how to make this happen and what may be needed federally and state level.
Karen F. Duffy, GCNS, ANP
Victor, NY

Posted by Karen duffy February 25, 09 09:49 PM
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I'm so pleased to see the President acknowledge the leadership Dr. Wakefield has show in rural and community health. Nursing and nurses have a great deal to contribute to the health of this nation. Congratulations Dr. Wakefield.

Posted by Shirley RN February 26, 09 11:10 AM
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Karen Duffy said: We must remove the powerful "heads" of health care companies and re direct monies they are making to the direct care/delivery level. Our operations costs are paralyzing progress at the delivery level....

I agree. Clinical nurses should have more input so that electronic health records accurately reflect current nursing practice. Nurses do not have time to wedge their care giving into templates generated by absentee decision makers.

If Dr.Wakefield remembers her days on the unit, she will know this to be true.

Posted by Nancy Nurse February 28, 09 08:52 AM
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