Solana Beach resident Dave Roberts appointed to national health panel

Supervisor Dave Roberts has been appointed to a position on a national healthcare advisory panel.

The National Association of Counties has appointed Roberts to serve on its Health Steering Committee.

The panel, which includes county leaders and public health executives from across the country, considers all matters pertaining to public health and healthy communities. The county’s Health and Human Services Agency Director, Nick Macchione, serves on the board.

“This appointment means a lot to me,” Roberts said. “With my background as a healthcare executive and healthcare advisor to two presidential administrations, I look forward to participating in the Health Steering Committee’s important business of creating healthy communities.”

The committee evaluates and makes recommendations upon issues such as disease and injury prevention, health promotion, health disparities reduction and financing the delivery of health care.

Roberts is a former senior manager for the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society, an international nonprofit organization. In that role, he drew upon his background as an appointed health policy advisor to President Barack Obama and former President George W. Bush.

Roberts earned national recognition for reducing costs and improving the delivery of Medicare, Medicaid and children’s health insurance coverage. He worked for the U.S. Air Force at the Pentagon and in Europe and played a key role in developing Tricare, the military’s health insurance system.