Media Contacts:
Valerie Foster, Harrison Edwards PR, 914-242-0010
vfoster@harrison-edwardspr.com
Ted Herman, Hudson Health Plan, 914-372-2204
therman@hudsonhealthplan.org

 

KEVIN NELSON OF HUDSON HEALTH PLAN ELECTED PRESIDENT OF THE ASSOCIATION OF YALE ALUMNI IN PUBLIC HEALTH


Restructuring the Board and Involving More Alumni and Students Uppermost in His Future Plans

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 16, 2010

(Tarrytown, NY)…Kevin Nelson, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Hudson Health Plan, has been elected to a three-year term as President of the Association of Yale Alumni in Public Health (AYAPH). He is also a member of the Board of Governors of the Association of Yale Alumni, an umbrella organization for all Yale University alumni organizations and programs, including Yale College and the university’s graduate and professional schools.

Mr. Nelson has been active in Yale alumni affairs since he earned a Master in Public Health from the Yale University School of Medicine in 1992. In 1999, he became the youngest person to join the school’s Alumni Board. Prior to assuming the presidency, he served as vice president of AYAPH, and helped establish the school’s first endowed scholarship fund for students of color.

He’s already begun work on one of his first priorities as president: to revitalize and restructure the Board. “I want to link board members to specific roles that will allow them to exercise their passions,” Mr. Nelson says. “When people are involved in things they truly care about, they do their best work and are willing to go that extra mile to get things done.” Once the restructuring is complete, Mr. Nelson plans on developing a strategic plan for AYAPH, beginning with a mission statement.

In addition, he’s eager to involve recent graduates and current students in association events and initiatives. At his first Board meeting eleven years ago, Mr. Nelson quickly realized he was the youngest person in the room. “I immediately thought I had nothing in common with the other Board members, who where all at least 20 years older than I was,” he says. “But, after a meeting or two, I discovered how happy they were to have me on board, and I was just as happy to be there. The more alumni we can engage, the stronger, broader and more diversified our organization will become, making us better able to identify the critical issues we need to address.”

Curbing violence is an issue Mr. Nelson says is tantamount to our nation’s public health, and one in which he is involving the Yale community. “Violence as a Public Health Issue,” the theme of the June 4th Alumni Day 2010, will feature Deborah Prothrow-Smith, MD, author, renowned expert, and innovative groundbreaker in the field of violence, as keynote speaker. Nelson says that because the issue strikes to the heart of what is wrong in American society, it is the perfect forum to attract alumni of all ages, including those that have graduated within the past 5 to 10 years.

“I have a particular interest in developing initiatives that engage both young alumni, and students, in alumni activities, so they develop the foundation for an ongoing commitment to Yale early in their lives,” he explains. “My commitment is to continue to give back to Yale, and to help students to evolve into great alumni, and young alumni to become active participants.

“We have a dedicated Board, but like every other organization, we have our challenges,” he adds. “Most of the members have been on the Board for a long time. There is not enough diversity. And you see the same people coming to all the events.”

At Hudson Health Plan, Mr. Nelson is responsible for Hudson’s overall operation. He has prioritized creating a rewarding, meaningful, and productive environment for all employees, while working toward the company’s ideal of universal health coverage.

In addition to his MPH degree, Mr. Nelson, 48, received a B.A. in Health Care Administration from the University of Pittsburgh. A resident of Yorktown Heights, New York, he is a member of the American Public Health Association, the National Association of Health Care Executives, the American College of Healthcare Executives, and the Health Care Compliance Association. He serves on the Board of Directors of Open Door Family Medical Centers, a Federally-Qualified Community Health Center; the African-American Parents Advisory Council for the Spence-Chapin Services, an adoption agency in New York; and the Camp Combe YMCA. In addition, he volunteers with Big Brothers/Big Sisters of America, and the Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship for Children. In June 2000, Mr. Nelson received the American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE) Young Healthcare Executive Award for Eastern New York State, which recognizes its affiliates who have contributed significantly toward the advancement of health care management.

About Hudson Health Plan

Founded in the mid-1980s by a coalition of community health centers, Hudson’s mission statement is "to promote and provide access to excellent health services for all people." The Tarrytown-based not-for-profit organization provides comprehensive medical and dental coverage to more than 100,000 members in New York’s Hudson Valley. Hudson has been driving health care innovation by developing technology to support clinical quality initiatives and to streamline the enrollment process for Medicaid Managed Care, Child Health Plus, and Family Health Plus. According to A Consumer’s Guide to Medicaid Managed Care in the Hudson Valley, it has earned the highest ratings in overall satisfaction among Medicaid Managed Care members in the Hudson Valley region every year since 2003.

Hudson Health Plan is the winner of the 2010 Platinum Award for Overall Case Management from the Case Management Society of America’s Case in Point Magazine; the Case Management Society of America 2007 Award for Excellence in Medication Adherence Management; the 2006 Poughkeepsie Journal Diversity in the Workplace Award; the 2005 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Corporate Award for Diversity from the YWCA of White Plains and Central Westchester; the 2005 Advancements in Health Care Award from Hudson Valley Life and Hudson Valley Parent; and the 2003 Community Leadership Award from The New York Health Plan Association. Visit Hudson on the Web at www.hudsonhealthplan.org.

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