News Release

INDIANAPOLIS – Gov. Eric Holcomb on Wednesday, Aug. 18, 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,” 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 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 will serve as the commission’s secretary.

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.

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