Ricardo Diaz Named Chief Operating Officer of HealthNet
7/9/2013
After a national search, HealthNet has named Ricardo Diaz as the organization’s new chief operating officer, effective August 19, 2013. He will manage the day-to-day operations of the state’s largest federally qualified health center. HealthNet provides care annually to more than 56,600 uninsured and underinsured patients in Marion County and beyond through its growing network of eight primary care health centers and several outreach programs. HealthNet is an affiliate of IU Health.
Diaz has more than 20 years of experience in health care management. For the past seven years, he has served as Vice President of Operations and Chief Operations Officer for Southern Illinois Healthcare Foundation, a federally qualified health center providing primary health care, outreach and behavioral health services through its 35 community health centers in the Southern Illinois area.
Before joining Southern Illinois Healthcare Foundation, Diaz served as the clinic manager/administrator for Warren Clinic, a primary care practice with 33 physicians and 160 staff in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
In announcing the selection, HealthNet President/CEO J. Cornelius Brown said, “We are very pleased that Rick will be joining us. He has a very clear vision for the critical role community health centers play as safety net providers and has the ability to turn vision into action. Rick will be a true asset to HealthNet and the many patients we serve.”
“I am honored to join HealthNet, and am excited to work with the leadership team, Board of Directors, health care providers, patients and staff to address the health care challenges of our day,” said Diaz. “This is an unparalleled time of opportunity for community health centers and I feel we are uniquely positioned to meet the growing needs of the uninsured and underinsured in Indianapolis.”
A Marine Corps veteran, Diaz has a bachelor’s degree in health care administration from American Intercontinental University and a master’s degree in business administration from Ashford University.
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Since 1968, HealthNet (http://www.indyhealthnet.org) has been a mainstay in the Indianapolis community. Through its network of community-based health centers, an OB/GYN care center, a pediatric and adolescent care center, a maternal-fetal medicine center and eight school-based clinics, HealthNet annually serves over 56,600 individuals and families. Many of them are uninsured or underinsured and live below the federal poverty level. HealthNet services include: primary and preventive health care; OB-GYN support and coaching for expectant mothers; Healthy Families and Better Indy Babies; dental services; Homeless Initiative Program; counseling, outreach and social service programs. HealthNet’s health centers include Barrington Health & Dental Center, Eastside Health Center, Martindale-Brightwood Health & Dental Center, Northeast Health Center, People’s Health & Dental Center, Southeast Health & Dental Center, Southwest Health & Dental Center, West Health Center, the Care Center at the Tower, the Pediatric and Adolescent Care & Dental Center, the Maternal-Fetal Medicine Center and HealthNet Pediatric Evening Clinic. HealthNet is Indiana’s largest Federally Qualified Health Center and is an affiliate of IU Health.
Contact: Kay Johnson, HealthNet, (317) 957-2018, kay.johnson@indyhealthnet.org