The Indiana Law Blog

Indiana Government - Daniels Names Former Hospital President to FSSA

According to a press release issued this afternoon:

Gov.-elect Mitch Daniels Names Former Hospital President Director of Family and Social Services Administration

INDIANAPOLIS - Today Governor-elect Mitch Daniels named Edward Mitchell ("Mitch") Roob, Jr. (pronounced Robe) as Director of Indiana's Family and Social Services Administration (FSSA).

"Mitch is deeply committed to the interests of the least fortunate among us and equally committed to getting the most service from every tax dollar," said Governor-elect Daniels. "He is the best qualified person for the one of the toughest jobs in the state."

Roob, 43, has extensive experience helping Hoosiers. In 1994, he was appointed the President of the Marion County Health and Hospital Corporation, responsible for the Health Department and Wishard Hospital. During his tenure, Roob developed the Wishard Advantage (a low income health program), the IU Medial Group, and worked to reduce infant mortality without raising taxes. Wishard was named one of the top 100 hospitals in the nation three of the four years Roob served as President.

"The Family and Social Services Administration touches Hoosiers lives in many ways," said Roob. "We face a great challenge regaining Hoosiers' trust and meeting Hoosiers' needs. Mitch (Daniels) has set the bar high for service and responsibility and I look forward to attaining those goals."

The Family and Social Services Administration is the largest agency in state government with 9,700 employees and an operating budget that represents roughly one-third of the state budget.

According to an Indianapolis Star report just posted:

Under Goldsmith, Roob headed the Department of Transportation in 1992 and 1993. In 1994, he was named president of the Marion County Health and Hospital Corporation. That municipal body oversees both Wishard Memorial Hospital and the Marion County Health Department.

At Health and Hospital, Roob focused much of his attention on Wishard, the county's publicly funded hospital which is responsible for providing medical care regardless of a patient's ability to pay. He oversaw efforts to make the hospital more patient-friendly, and more capable of competing for patients and the business of companies seeking health-care services.

But he also oversaw a cost-cutting reorganization of the health department that resulted in 41 layoffs.

He left that post in 1998 to become president of IWC Services, which was the services division of the Indianapolis Water Co.

Posted by Marcia Oddi at December 7, 2004 05:09 PM