Hi, I am Ingrid Ulrey, Regional Director for the Federal Department of Health and Human
Services, HHS Region 10 — which includes Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Alaska and 272
federally recognized tribes.
I was appointed to the Biden Administration to this position in November of 2021 after
previously serving in leadership positions with Public Health – Seattle & King County,
AARP, SEIU, which is a labor union representing frontline health care workers, and PATH, a
global health organization.
As a gay woman, a mother of two, a caregiver for aging parents, and as someone who dedicated
many years of my life to strengthening health care infrastructure in corners of the world
with very few resources, I come to this work with empathy for people who are struggling
to access care and a deep commitment to health equity.
Which is why I am honored to work for HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra, who has pledged
to put health equity at the core of everything we do here at HHS.
This commitment is especially important in light of the many inequalities that have been
exacerbated by the COVID pandemic and as we struggle to heal racial divisions and move
toward recovery.
As a Regional Director, I work closely with the alphabet soup of large operating divisions
that make up HHS, such as CMS which administers Medicare and Medicaid; SAMHSA, which addresses
mental health and substance use; HRSA which supports countless programs to reduce health
disparities for marginalized populations; and many others – including the CDC and
other major drivers behind the nation’s COVID response.
My role is to be the front door to HHS for people across all of Region 10 – from our
coastal cities and their surrounding suburbs, to the rural and frontier areas to the east
and to the north, and inclusive of many small tribal villages accessible only by plane up
in Alaska.
I love this region both for its natural beauty and when it comes to health care, for its
creativity and innovation.
My team works to understand how HHS policies and programs are impacting people on the ground,
and to ensure that our efforts are informed by your experiences.
On a day-to-day basis, we are engaged in meaningful dialogue with our region’s governors, mayors
and tribal leaders, as well as hospitals, clinics and frontline health care workers.
Our goal is not only to share information about HHS initiatives and funding; but also
to trouble shoot with you to address gaps and challenges and to amplify your successes.
At this point in time, the Biden-Harris Administration and Secretary Becerra are focused on many
critical objectives and priorities, which, to name a few, include.
Tackling COVID-19; promoting mental health and wellness for all and lowering health care
costs and expanding access to achieve equity.
Related to COVID, we have come together as a country to respond to the pandemic and now
have more tools than ever to prevent, fight, and treat COVID-19, including vaccines, boosters,
and therapeutics.
My office is working with partners in communities across Region 10 to remind people that vaccines
are safe and effective and that boosters are important to sustain immunity, especially
for people who are immunocompromised and for older adults.
And, we are working with health officials across all levels of government to track the
virus as it continues to evolve, protect the capacity of our health care system and encourage
people to take sensible precautions so that everyone can stay safe.
At the same time, we are working to address the toll that this pandemic has taken on the
mental health and well-being of people of all ages, and the commensurate rise in rates
of anxiety, depression, suicide, and overdose deaths.
In his State of the Union address, the president called out mental health as the defining issue
of our day, he announced a national mental health strategy that will build on actions
taken by the administration in the past year, including more than $3 billion in American
Rescue Plan funding for mental health and substance use block grant programs.
In Region 10, my office is working with state and tribal leaders, to leverage this moment
to invest in behavioral health systems across the continuum of care, achieve parity and
integrate services so that everyone can easily access care they need and stay whole.
Since the passage of the Affordable Care Act, our nation has made great strides in reducing
the number of uninsured and lowering costs.
And during the 2022 Open Enrollment period, partners across Region 10 enrolled nearly
half of a million people in quality health care coverage.
And now, our state officials are working hard to ensure that that this coverage will remain
steady with the end of the Public Health Emergency.
Expanding coverage and improving quality of care is critical to address unacceptably high
maternal mortality rates, particularly among black and native women.
HHS is and will continue to work with partners to support safe pregnancies and childbirth,
following the Vice President’s call to action on this issue.
And, we will work with partners to continue to improve access to quality home care and
quality nursing home care, which are essential for people with disabilities and for our elders.
All of this and more – including sustaining the gains of tele-health discovered through
the pandemic and addressing chronic workforce shortages, is critical to achieving health equity.
To close, I want to emphasize that this Administration, with your help, has made significant progress
in health and human services for our nation.
And there is more work ahead.
I am honored to serve in this role, to build relationship with so many incredible leaders
across the Northwest and to support the government to government relationship with our 272 federally
recognized tribes.
Thank you for listening and hope to meet you soon.