Mary Rose Garrido Wilcox, a Latina trailblazer with nearly 40 years of public service, has been re-elected Chairman of the Maricopa County Special Health Care District Board of Directors. Wilcox was first elected to the leadership position in December 2020.
“I am honored to again be selected for this role and for the opportunity to continue serving the Valleywise Health system and our community,” Wilcox said. “I would like to thank my fellow Board members for their confidence and Steve Purves, President and CEO, for the strong leadership he has shown during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“This is an exciting time for our Board and Valleywise Health,” Wilcox added. “Valleywise Health is poised to accomplish great things with the opening of new community health centers across Maricopa County the planned opening of a new Valleywise Health Medical Center in 2023.”
J. Woodfin “Woody” Thomas was re-elected Vice-Chair by the five-member body that oversees Valleywise Health, which includes Valleywise Health Medical Center, the Arizona Burn Center, Level I Trauma Center, three behavioral health hospitals, the state’s largest HIV/AIDS primary care clinic and a network of community health centers.
Wilcox has a long history with Valleywise Health. As a member of the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors, Wilcox served on the original Maricopa County Hospital and Health System Board from 1992 to 2003, when the current District Board was created. She joined the Maricopa County Special Health Care District Board in 2016.
“I will continue to work closely with our medical partners, District Medical Group, and our hospital leadership to reshape Valleywise Health to better serve our community,” she added.
Wilcox’s contributions as a public servant have been matched by her advocacy efforts on behalf of the Hispanic community. She was the first Latina elected to the Phoenix City Council (1983-1993), and the first Latina elected to the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors (1993-2014).
Thomas, a former Litchfield Park mayor, was sworn into office for a four-year term in December 2018. Other Board members are Directors Mark Dewane, Mary Harden and Susan Gerard.