Kernan chooses mayor's wife for policy position

INDIANAPOLIS -- Gov. Joe Kernan announced Wednesday that Amy Brown Kruzan, wife of Bloomington Mayor Mark Kruzan, will served as Kernan's new policy director for health issues. \nShe begins her work May 24.\nIn the position, Kruzan will oversee such agencies as the Family and Social Services Administration and the Indiana State Department of Health. She will work with the governor to develop state policy regarding issues such as disease and Medicaid.\nOne of the major issues that Kruzan said she will deal with is the growing problems with Medicaid. Just last week, Kernan announced he would retool the HoosierRx prescription drug program for senior citizens. Kruzan will have to help educate people about the changes before they go into effect June 1.\n"FSSA and the Office of Medicaid are working on a disease management initiative which is teaching people on Medicaid to deal with their diseases," she said.\nKruzan said her job will also have an impact on economic development in Indiana. From a business perspective, whether or not people receive insurance from their employers affects federal funds and quality of life in Indiana.\n"The myth is that everybody who doesn't have insurance is unemployed, but many of them have jobs but do not receive health benefits," she said.\nKruzan's role is slightly different from the health policy position left vacant during former Gov. Frank O'Bannon's term. Kruzan will be a member of Kernan's cabinet -- a group of agency heads, policy directors and staff members. The cabinet, assembled immediately after Kernan took office, is a change from the previous operations of the governor's office. Jonathan Swain, Kernan's press secretary, said the change is to suit Kernan's managerial style. He said the cabinet helps increase communication between several state departments.\nCurrently, Kruzan is the director of Bloomington operations for the Southeastern Indiana Health Organization, which provides health benefits to more than 700 companies representing 70,000 Indiana residents. She has also worked for two years as the legislative director for FSSA.\n"I'm glad we could persuade Amy to bring her expertise back into state government," Kernan said in a statement. "Our agencies have a wide range of responsibilities in providing essential health services and programs to all Hoosiers, and specifically for our most vulnerable citizens. Amy's knowledge and considerable skill will make her a tremendous asset to our team." \nKruzan is also an IU-Bloomington alumna, with a degree in applied health sciences.\nKruzan said she is looking forward to the new position, even though it means she'll have to commute every day.\n"It's a drive I'm very familiar with," she said. "I used to do it for years before I married Mark. I'm sure I'll get used to it again." \n-- Contact staff writer Adam Aasen at aaasen@indiana.edu.