Governor-elect Janet Mills announced today that she will nominate Jeanne Lambew one of the nation’s foremost health care experts to lead the Maine Department of Health & Human Services, Lambew, who grew up in Maine, has a long and distinguished career in the field of health care policy, most notably as the Deputy Assistant to President Obama for health policy from 2013 to 2017. The selection of Lambew to lead the Department, the first announcement Governor-elect has made about her cabinet, underscores the seriousness of her commitment to addressing health care and tackling the number of issues that face under the Department’s jurisdiction.
“For the last year, the people of Maine have told me time and time again that health care is the number one issue in their lives. I heard them, I made it a focus of my campaign and now I am making it a top priority of my administration,” said Governor-elect Mills. “That is why I have selected Jeanne Lambrew to lead the Department of Health & Human Services. Not only does Jeanne have extensive executive and managerial experience, but she also possesses a deep well of policy knowledge and the skills to effectively implement complex policies. I look forward to working with Jeanne in the coming months and years to expand medicaid, to make health care more accessible to more people, to tackle the opiod epidemic, and to reorient DHHS so it once again achieves its mission of serving Maine’s most vulnerable.”
“I am honored to be chosen for this important position. The Department of Health & Human Services touches all of our lives with the aim of making our lives better. The Department’s ability to fulfill its mission requires leadership from the top, and Mainers have that in Governor-elect Mills,” said Lambew. “It will be my top priority to revamp the Department to ensure it delivers on its core mission`and to take steps to lower the cost of health care, to lower prescription drug prices, expand treatment for mental health and substance use disorder and to strengthen public health preparedness. This will take time and work, but the long-run benefits are worth it and I pledge to the people of Maine to give it my all.”
Lambew’s nomination will be subject to the approval of the Committee on Health & Human Services and with the full Maine Senate.