Gov.-elect McAuliffe taps Bill Hazel as Secretary of Health and Human Resources

Virginia Gov.-elect Terry McAuliffe announced his appointment of Bill Hazel as Secretary of Health and Human Resources at a press conference at the Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center in Richmond on Wednesday.

“I am committed to working with members of both parties to improve Virginia’s health care and human services delivery system in every corner of the Commonwealth, and Bill Hazel is the right choice to help me achieve that goal as my Secretary of Health and Human Resources,” said Gov.-elect McAuliffe. “These four years present real opportunities to move Virginia health care forward by reforming our mental health system so all Virginians have access to the care and resources they need, expanding healthcare coverage to 400,000 Virginians by accepting federal funds for Medicaid Expansion, and ensuring all Virginia women have access to the quality care they need. I am confident that Secretary Hazel will be the best steward to help me carry my agenda forward and meet the challenges we face when it comes to health care in this Commonwealth.”

Hazel currently serves as the Virginia Secretary of Health and Human Resources and has a long record of service to keeping Virginians healthy. During his tenure, Secretary Hazel has helped create the Virginia Health Reform Initiative, an initiative that works to improve service and lower the cost of care in every dimension of the health care system. He has overseen a significant technology overhaul within the agencies under the Secretary of Health and Human Resources to help improve the service Virginians get from their government.

Hazel also serves as a Co-Chair on the Task Force on School and Campus Safety as well as the Initiative to End Homelessness through which he has helped to increase the involvement of Virginia’s health care system in solving challenges that cross multiple dimensions of communities across the Commonwealth.

“It is with great honor that I accept the governor-elect’s nomination to continue in my post as Secretary of Health and Human Resources,” said Secretary Hazel. “As the governor-elect has said, we have great challenges as a Commonwealth and great opportunities when it comes to improving how we deliver health care. He has already begun to lay out a policy agenda aimed at keeping Virginia families and communities healthy and safe and I will be 100% committed to executing it as his Secretary of Health.”