Photo by Haylee Bazil/Staff Photographer.The new Senior Vice President for Population Health at UT Health and Associate Vice Chancellor for UT System Dr. David Lakey, a nationally know physician and expert on many health issues, addressing audience at a news conference about how he will be focusing his efforts on improving the public health of Northeast Texans.

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UT Health Northeast officials announced Wednesday that Dr. David Lakey, commissioner of the Texas Department of State Health Services, will leave that post and serve as senior vice president for population health at the hospital and as associate vice chancellor for the University of Texas System. He will assume his new duties Feb. 1 and split his time between Tyler and Austin.

This is the first-ever joint appointment of an individual for two concurrent positions at UT Health Northeast, which will focus on improving health outcomes across the state, officials said.

Lakey was approached by the hospital to develop plans and partnerships to tackle health problems in northeast Texas, which are often marked by disparities, particularly in rural areas.

New initiatives aim to improve health outcomes, such as premature death rates and instances of diabetes and obesity. According to DSHS, this region faces more significant public health challenges that have led to higher disease and premature death rates in the 28 counties in the region than others across the state.

More than half of the counties in this area are in the bottom 20 percent for health outcomes compared to the rest of Texas. In addition, there is a severe primary care and mental health provider shortages in this region. These are all areas that Lakey will address in his new role.

 

SHIFTING FOCUS

Lakey said health officials today are shifting focus from sick care to preventive care and research. There also is attention on processes and new ways to fund programs. For example, Lakey said the 1115 Waiver, which allows communities and hospitals to form partnerships to support health care solutions locally, is one way health officials can improve health.

“There are a lot of natural experiments that are taking place in Texas,” he said. “When you look at health policy, I think that we could do a better job of figuring out what happens when you try different approaches. The 1115 Waiver is a huge project that national eyes are on.”

Lakey, along with Dr. Jeff Levin, Smith County Health Authority and senior vice president for clinical and academic affairs at UT Health Northeast, spoke Wednesday morning at Rice University in Houston to a taskforce charged with addressing problems plaguing the health care system in Texas.

The taskforce released a report titled Code Red: the Critical Condition of Health in Texas that examines the impact of uncompensated care to all Texans and the lack of access to care in the state.

The report found that since Texas did not expand Medicaid, a key provision in the Affordable Care Act, it cost the state $3.6 billion. The move, the report indicated, also will “deprive the state of approximately $66 billion in direct federal payments over 10 years, as well as an estimated $35- 40 billion more in secondary benefits, such as jobs and better health for those who might gain health insurance coverage.”

Meanwhile, the report said, about $32 billion in federal taxes will be paid by Texans and used to support Medicaid insurance expansion in other states over the next 10 years.

 

RETURNING HOME

Lakey leaves his role as commissioner during a transition in leadership, with Gov. Gregg Abbott now at the helm. Although the average term for other top public health officials has been about two and half years, Lakey served in that capacity for eight years. He was responsible for one of the state’s largest agencies with a staff of about 12,000 and an annual budget of $3.3 billion.

Lakey first was drawn to UT Health Northeast in 1998, following a fellowship at Vanderbilt University, because of the hospital’s research capabilities and other resources. He soon found that there were unique challenges here that motivated him.

“One of the things that astounded me is how different health is in different parts of the state,” Lakey said. “It’s not just urban issues; it’s also in the rural parts of the state.”

Lakey’s expertise is in disease prevention, family and community health services, environmental and consumer safety, infectious disease outbreaks and bioterrorism preparedness.

“We know our region of the state has a great need for expertise in addressing some of our most challenging health issues, and I can think of no other individual better qualified or as passionate about public health than David Lakey to take on this new initiative to improve the health of Northeast Texans,” said Dr. Kirk Calhoun, president at UT Health Northeast.

Lakey also will receive the Science and Technology Acquisition and Retention award in the amount of $1 million from the UT System to support the development and staff recruitment for this new population health initiative. UT Health Northeast also will name Lakey to the Isadore Roosth Distinguished Professorship.

“Dr. Lakey is uniquely positioned to lead a statewide effort in improving the health of Texans, given his distinguished service as the commissioner of the Department of State Health Services,” said Dr. Ray Greenberg, Ph.D., executive vice chancellor for health affairs with UT System, in a press release. “In partnership with our six health institutions and two new medical schools, Dr. Lakey will guide initiatives that can reduce the excessive burden of diseases such as obesity and diabetes in our communities and promote better health for all Texans.”

Before becoming commissioner, Lakey served as the chief of infectious disease at UT Health Northeast and medical director of its Center for Pulmonary and Infectious Disease Control for eight years. He studied infectious disease at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn., where he completed his residency. He is board certified in pediatrics, internal medicine, infectious disease and pediatric infectious disease.

Lakey was instrumental in securing funds for the Public Health Lab of East Texas, which is housed at UT Health Northeast.

He previously served on the Northeast Texas Public Health District board and as health authority for Smith County.

Additionally, he served as the Associate Director for Biosecurity and Infectious Disease with The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston’s renowned School of Public Health from 2004-2006.