PHOENIX — Longtime state lawmaker Kate Brophy McGee has joined the Maricopa County Special Health Care District Board, which oversees Valleywise Health, Arizona’s leading public teaching hospital and safety net system of care.
Brophy McGee, a community leader for over two decades, was sworn in Monday for a four-year term on the elected five-member board.
Also Monday, Director Woody Thomas was elected chairman and Director Mark Dewane vice-chairman of the Board. Other members are Mary Rose Wilcox and Mary A. Harden, RN.
“I will bring my 25 plus years of public service experience to the highest and best use for this organization to benefit the patients we serve,” Brophy McGee said.
Steve Purves, Valleywise Health President and CEO, said Brophy McGee “brings invaluable public leadership experience and perspective of our board at a critical time in our history.”
“Valleywise Health and the community we serve will benefit greatly from her knowledge and expertise,” Purves added.
During her decade in the Arizona Legislature, Brophy McGee worked to improve access to health care to keep Arizonans safe and healthy. Major efforts included work on Medicaid expansion, restoring funding for Kids Care and supporting funding for biomedical research and medical education.
She is known nationally for her work establishing the Department of Child Safety, which transformed Arizona’s child welfare system from a national disgrace to a national model. In 2020, Kate sponsored “Jake’s Law”, which established parity for treatment of behavioral health disorders – ensuring that mental illness will be treated just as physical illness is treated.
Brophy McGee won numerous awards for her legislative work. Most recently, she was awarded Best Elected Official in the State of Arizona for an unprecedented two years running in 2019 and 2020. Previous recipients of this distinguished award include Governor Doug Ducey, U.S. Senator John McCain and U.S. Senator Jon Kyl.