Los Angeles County Department of Public Social Services Head Sheryl Spiller Joins L.A. Care Health Plan's Board of Governors

LOS ANGELES – L.A. Care Health Plan, the nation’s largest health plan, announced today that Sheryl Spiller, head of the Los Angeles County Department of Public Social Services (DPSS), has been nominated to L.A. Care’s Board of Governors. 

The Board is a 13-member stakeholder group that includes representatives of community clinics, hospitals, federally qualified health centers, doctors, members, advocates and the County of Los Angeles. Spiller replaces Phillip Browning, who served on the board for four years representing DPSS.

Spiller brings years of public service experience. She is currently head of the Department of Public Social Services. As the Department Head she plans, organizes, and directs all operations of the department; the second largest locally operated social services agency in the country with an annual budget of 3.3 billion, over 13,500 employees and 67 facilities. Prior to this appointment, Spiller served as the Acting Director for 11 months. Additionally, she served as the Chief Deputy Director for DPSS beginning in 2007, providing support to the Department Head in all aspects of DPSS’ operations.

“I am committed to working with my fellow board members to ensure that L.A. Care continues to alleviate hardship and promote and provide health care services to low-income and vulnerable populations in Los Angeles County,” says Spiller. 

Additional Newly Nominated Board Members

Jann Hamilton Lee is the President and Chief Executive Officer for South Bay Family Health Care, a non-profit Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) with sites in Redondo Beach, Harbor Gateway, Inglewood, and Carson. It provides nearly 75,000 primary health care visits to the low-income and uninsured members of Los Angeles County. Li represents the Federally Qualified Health Centers on the board.

Dr.  Alexander Li is chief executive officer of the Ambulatory Care Network for the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services. He is responsible for developing the new DHS Ambulatory Care Network and integrating ambulatory care, Community Health Plan and Clinical Resource Management departments to ensure that there is a singular focus to provide patients with access to high quality, patient-centered and cost effective primary care services.  Li represents the County on the board.

Hilda Perez is a health promoter and member and former chair of the Regional Community Advisory Committee and the Executive Community Advisory Committee. As a volunteer, she quickly learned the importance of promoting health and how to navigate the health care system, skills that she now shares with others. Perez has gained experience by working with the most vulnerable members of the community, including low-income families and those with different limitations, including linguistic and ethnic barriers that pose a challenge for access to quality health care. She represents consumers on the board.

Ozzie Lopez is the Executive Director of Los Angeles Youth Opportunity Movement Boyle Heights. He focuses his career on developing pathways toward self-sustainability while creating post-secondary education opportunities for young adults between the ages of 14 to 24. Lopez’s leadership and administrative capabilities have earned the organization national recognition by the National Community Development Association and state recognition by the California Council for Performance Excellence. He represents consumers on the board.

“A stakeholder appointed board is a powerful entity, one that brings a wealth of experience and diverse perspective,” says Howard Kahn, CEO of L.A. Care. “This will be a critical year, with the expansion of Medi-Cal, launch of the dual eligible pilot project and the Health Benefits Exchange.  Our board will play a pivotal role in determining the direction that we take, ensuring that we not only meet, but exceed, the needs and expectations of our members and our community.”

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