We closed out the 2023 Northern California State of Reform Health Policy Conference last month with remarks from CDR. Matthew C. Johns, Regional Health Administrator for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health in Region 9. Johns discussed health policy movement on the federal level and how it will impact Californians.
He focused on the federal government’s 10-year Equitable Long-Term Recovery and Resilience Plan for COVID-19, linking it to California’s experience emerging from the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The idea behind this was to transition us away from COVID, look at what the next five-to 10 year time horizon is, and start to really generate some meaningful change in all these different, incredibly dynamic and complex areas of work…”
Before sitting down for a conversation with conference host and Health Management Associates Managing Principal Margaret Tatar, Johns highlighted some of the work he’s been doing through his role at HHS, including COVID-19 recovery and future public health crisis response (as California navigates the “interpandemic” phase), addressing climate change, and promoting racial health equity.
You can watch the full video above.