Howard A. Kahn, Chief Executive Officer of L.A. Care Health Plan, is pleased to announce that Jonathan Freedman has accepted the position of Chief of Strategy, Regulatory and External Affairs at L.A. Care, the largest public health plan in the country. He will join the organization in early October.
Freedman is currently the Chief Deputy Director of the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (DPH), which has an annual budget of more than $750 million and over 3,500 employees, and provides a comprehensive array of services to protect and improve the health of the County’s ten million residents.
In his capacity as the new Chief of Strategy, Regulatory and External Affairs at L.A. Care, Freedman will work closely with Kahn and the leadership team to develop and implement strategies and initiatives that improve the programmatic impact and public image of L.A. Care. He will oversee the departments that are focused on the support of external stakeholders and selected internal functions, including Strategic Planning, Government Relations, Communications and Marketing, Regulatory Affairs and Compliance, and other functions.
“I am convinced that Jonathan will help to successfully position L.A. Care to continually evolve in our mission to provide high quality health care to our members and promote innovation in the delivery of health care,” said Kahn. “He is a respected and well-known public health leader in Los Angeles and Sacramento. His vast network of relationships at the county and state levels, combined with his public health expertise will help to ensure that L.A. Care is recognized as a leader in health care reform and public policy, and will maximize legislative opportunities to allow us to fulfill our vision and values.”
Prior to his position as Chief Deputy Director at DPH, Freedman was Director of the DPH Emergency Preparedness and Response Program, which assured the preparedness and response capabilities of DPH, the County of Los Angeles, and partner agencies relative to the public health consequences of natural and man-made disasters and emergencies, including bioterrorism events and pandemic influenza.
Previously, Mr. Freedman was an Assistant Division Chief in the Los Angeles County Chief Administrative Office where he coordinated a wide array of legislative issues for the County ranging from criminal justice and public works to health and welfare services. He is an alumnus of UCLA where he received his undergraduate degree in Political Science and graduate degree in Public Health.
“This is an exciting time of growth and new challenges for L.A. Care,” said CEO Kahn, “and I am looking forward to the health policy expertise and strategic thinking Jonathan brings. I firmly believe that with our strong leadership team and legion of committed and talented employees, we are poised for even greater successes in the coming years.”
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