CA Names New Secretary for Health & Human Services
September 6, 2024 – Governor Newsom announced today that longtime child well-being advocate Kim Johnson will replace Dr. Mark Ghaly as Secretary of the CA Health & Human Services Agency.
The Children’s Partnership is incredibly grateful to Sec. Ghaly for his transformational impact on children’s health equity during his tenure. His commitment to collaboration and forward-thinking policies has helped California advance racial justice in Medi-Cal through expansion of coverage, improvement of behavioral health care for children, youth and families, and centering community-centered solutions in health care delivery.
Kim Johnson’s leadership as the next secretary will be an asset for our state’s families. As director of the CA Department of Social Services, Johnson brought an intersectional, whole-child approach to early care, child welfare, and children’s well-being. This commitment comes from deep professional and personal experience.
“As a former beneficiary of public assistance myself, [Gov. Newsom’s] vision to reduce child poverty and improve the well-being of Californians across the state truly resonates with my own sense of mission.”
Kim Johnson (cited from The Imprint)
We look forward to working with Johnson to further advance children’s health equity in California and thank Sec. Ghaly for his incredible leadership.
Read more on the Governor’s website here.
