Indiana health leader Jennifer Sullivan to step down
Dr. Jennifer Sullivan, secretary of the Indiana Family and Social Services Administration and one of the key players in the state’s pandemic response, is stepping down.
The longest person to serve in that post in the agency’s 30-year history, Sullivan is leaving to take a job in the private sector in North Carolina, Gov. Eric Holcomb announced in a news release Wednesday.
Dr. Dan Rusyniak, the administration’s chief medical officer, will take her place as of Aug. 1.
Holcomb praised Sullivan for her service.
“Jennifer Sullivan has dedicated herself to improving the social and human needs Hoosiers are faced with every day,” Gov. Holcomb said. “Secretary Sullivan tackled some of the most complex issues our state has ever dealt with and found new innovative ways to deliver improved results.”
Sullivan’s new role
Sullivan, also an emergency medicine physician at Riley Hospital for Children, will become senior vice president of strategic operations for Atrium Health, a healthcare system based in Charlotte that includes 37 hospitals and Wake Forest School of Medicine.
Atrium Health executive president Ken Haynes said in an emailed statement that Sullivan’s experiences in public service will position her to work to improve health policy.
“Secretary Sullivan is a special talent,” said Haynes, also president of the Charlotte Region for the enterprise. “Her vast experience in public health aligns closely with our ‘for all’ mission, serving those who are underserved.”
Appointed Family and Social Services Administration secretary in 2017, Sullivan also served as deputy state health commissioner under then Indiana State Health Commissioner Dr. Jerome Adams. In that position, she helped lead the state’s response to the Scott County HIV outbreak and establish Indiana’s first needle exchange program.
Healthy Indiana Plan and other projects
During her four-plus years as the administration’s head, she oversaw a 10-year extension of the Healthy Indiana Plan, coordinated SNAP benefits, and was one of the state’s most high-profile cabinet members, appearing regularly on press conferences with Gov. Eric Holcomb and Indiana State Health Commissioner Dr. Kris Box.
But her tenure did not come without controversy. Sullivan came under fire for attempting to implement work requirements for people on the Healthy Indiana Plan. A pending federal lawsuit challenges the Gateway to Work program.
Healthy Indiana Plan controversy:State temporarily suspends work requirement
While Sullivan said in a statement that departing was difficult, she added she hopes to have a direct positive impact on the lives of millions of people in her new role.
“In my career, I have been blessed with great opportunities to advance health in service to others,” said Sullivan. “While it’s difficult to leave such a fulfilling role, I feel a calling that I’ve chosen to follow.”
Dan Rusyniak stepping in
Rusyniak, who practices medicine one day a week at Eskenazi Hospital, leads the state’s COVID-19 response, overseeing long-term care and nursing homes during the time. Before joining the administration, Rusyniak was medical director at the Indiana Poison Control Center.
During the pandemic, Rusyniak showed both character and leadership skills, Holcomb said.
“He was consistent under pressure and always based his decisions on the overall health and well-being of Hoosiers. “Dr. Dan” will seamlessly step into this new role and continue to serve some of our most vulnerable with that same compassion and steady hand.”
Contact IndyStar reporter Shari Rudavsky at [email protected]. Follow her on Facebook and on Twitter: @srudavsky.
