Gov. Holcomb Announces New Public Health Commission Group

The group will be led by former State Sen. Luke Kenley, and former public health commissioner Dr. Judy Monroe.

INDIANAPOLIS — Governor Eric J. Holcomb today announced he is establishing a 15-member commission to examine Indiana’s public health system and make recommendations to improve its structure, funding and operations.

“Our public health system has been around for almost 140 years, and it’s overdue for a thorough look so that we can best position it to provide excellence to Hoosiers for the next 100 years,” Gov. Holcomb said. “This review, coupled with our ongoing commitment to improve key health indicators, will best position Indiana to be a great state to live, work, play and invest in and grow a healthy workforce.”

The Governor’s Public Health Commission will be co-chaired by former state Sen. Luke Kenley, who has spent decades managing complex issues and budgets for the state, and Dr. Judy Monroe, who served as Indiana’s state health commissioner from 2005 to 2010 and now serves as president and chief executive officer of the CDC Foundation. State Health Commissioner Kris Box, M.D., FACOG, will serve as the commission’s secretary. Gov. Holcomb signed an Executive Order on Wednesday creating the commission.

The commission will include subgroups that will examine topics ranging from funding and resources to delivery of services and collection and use of data. Its goal is to make recommendations for improvements and standardization that can be shared with the Indiana General Assembly. Such a review was planned before the pandemic, which has only exacerbated the need the modernize Indiana’s public health system.

“Indiana’s public health workforce is made up of some of the most dedicated people you will ever encounter,” Dr. Box said. “They truly care about their communities and have worked tirelessly to protect Hoosiers. They deserve our heartfelt thanks, and they deserve our help. Determining what that help should look like is the goal of this commission.”

Appointments to the commission are forthcoming. The commission is expected to begin its work in September and provide recommendations within a year.

Executive Order 21-21 can be found here.

Informational slides regarding today’s announcement can be found here.