Binghamton University School of Nursing dean appointed to New York State Public Health and Health Planning Council
BINGHAMTON, N.Y. – Mario R. Ortiz, dean and professor at Binghamton University’s Decker School of Nursing, has been appointed to the New York State Public Health and Health Planning Council (PHHPC), the advisory and decision-making council for New York’s public health and healthcare delivery system. The PHHPC consists of New York State Commissioner of Health Howard Zucker and 25 members, each nominated by the governor and confirmed by the New York State Senate.
“I am honored to be appointed by Gov. Andrew Cuomo and to have the opportunity to contribute to improving healthcare for all residents of New York state,” said Ortiz. “I look forward to working with my fellow council members to effect positive change in the access to and delivery of healthcare across the state.” The PHHPC is charged with adopting and amending New York state’s Sanitary Code and healthcare facility, home-care agency and hospice operating regulations. The council also makes decisions concerning the establishment and transfer of ownership of healthcare facilities, home-care agencies and hospice programs. Additionally, the PHHPC makes recommendations to the commissioner of health concerning major construction projects, service changes, and equipment acquisitions in healthcare facilities and home-care agencies. It also advises the commissioner on issues related to the preservation and improvement of public health.
Ortiz is a board-certified community health nurse specialist and family nurse practitioner who joined Binghamton University in July 2016. He has a strong record of success in developing healthcare programs and nurse-led, patient-centered medical homes and primary-care clinics. In addition, he has established and nurtured critical partnerships with healthcare providers and policy-makers.
Ortiz is a respected scholar in national and international arenas, where he focuses on nursing research and practice. He is the contributing editor of the “Health Policy” and “Leadership” columns in Nursing Science Quarterly. He serves on the referee panels for the Journal of Holistic Nursing, the Journal of the Association of Nurses in AIDS Care and the Journal of Rural Nursing and Health Care. Ortiz is also a member of Sigma Theta Tau International, a Fellow in the Nursing Academy of the National Academies of Practice and a Fellow in the American Academy of Nursing.
His term on the PHHPC will run through January 2023.