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Announcements
New Department Senior Executive Team Leaders
The Department is pleased to announce additions to our Senior Executive Leadership Team.
New State Medicaid Director
The Department is pleased to announce that Adela Flores-Brennan, MA, JD, has been selected as our Medicaid Director, reporting to Executive Director Kim Bimestefer. In this role, Adela will also assume the role of Office Director, leading our newly titled Health Policy Office (formerly Health Programs Office), which designs, maintains and oversees Medicaid and Child Health Plan Plus (CHP+) medical policies and contracts. Adela joined HCPF in May 2022 and had been serving as the Interim Benefits Division Director and the Deputy Chief Administrative Officer for HCPF.
Adela brings over 20 years of experience in Colorado public policy and advocacy and a deep understanding of health issues including Medicaid, CHP+, private insurance, family economic self-sufficiency, state tax and budget policy and federal oversight. More recently, Adela served as executive director of the Colorado Consumer Health Initiative (CCHI), which led numerous major health policy changes to benefit Colorado consumers during her tenure. She has successfully partnered with community members, policymakers, and regulators at the state and federal levels to advance policies that expand access to quality and affordable health care while protecting consumers. Adela has also served on the boards of directors for Connect for Health Colorado, Center for Improving Value in Health Care (CIVHC) and Colorado Access. Please join us in congratulating Adela on her new role.
New Office of Medicaid and CHP+ Behavioral Health Initiatives and Coverage
We are pleased to announce the formation of a new office within HCPF - the Office of Medicaid and CHP+ Behavioral Health Initiatives and Coverage. Please join us in congratulating Cristen Bates, who has been promoted to Director of this new HCPF office. This office will govern HCPF’s specific behavioral health policies, benefits, special projects and strategies that were previously part of our Health Programs Office. Accordingly, Cristen and HCPF’s behavioral health managers and staff will remain in their same positions but within this new office, under Cristen’s leadership.
The timing of this new office is very intentional. Given the unprecedented and historic changes both underway and forthcoming to transform the state’s behavioral health system, this new HCPF office under Cristen’s leadership will ensure that HCPF is fully aligned and engaged to support the Behavioral Health Administration (BHA) and its vision to achieve transformative goals while also improving HCPF’s focus and ability to meet the expectations of our advocates, legislators, providers, counties and other stakeholders in the provision of Medicaid and CHP+ behavioral health services. This includes implementing elements of the statewide behavioral health transformative initiatives attributed to HCPF while ensuring that HCPF continues to improve the behavioral health access, quality, equity and service provided to Medicaid and CHP+ members, who now number 1.67 million Coloradans.
Cristen will also hold the role of Deputy Medicaid Director, ensuring close partnership with Adela as the Medicaid Director and Director of HCPF’s Health Policy Office. Cristen is a dedicated public health executive with 20 years of experience serving the community. Her behavioral health expertise and passion will serve her well in this important role. Cristen has been with HCPF for three years, and previously served as the Director of Strategy, Communications and Policy for the Office of Behavioral Health within the Department of Human Services. Cristen will now be a member of HCPF’s Senior Executive Leadership Team in this new role, reporting to Executive Director Kim Bimestefer, and joining other Department Office Directors (i.e., Tom Leahey, Pharmacy Office; Bonnie Silva, Office of Community Living; Adela Flores-Brennan, Health Policy Office; Charlotte Crist, Cost Control & Quality Improvement Office; Ralph Choate, Medicaid Operations Office; Bettina Schneider, Finance Office; Parrish Steinbrecher, Health Information Office; Tom Massey, Policy, Communications & Administration Office).
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