SAN FRANCISCO, February 8 , 2022 – The Governing Board of the San Francisco Health Plan (SFHP) has announced that Yolanda Richardson, currently the Secretary of the California Government Operations Agency, will succeed John F. Grgurina, Jr., as Chief Executive Officer, effective April 4, 2022.

Richardson was selected after a rigorous nationwide search, facilitated by recruiting firm Russell Reynolds Associates, which included extensive interviews with SFHP Governing Board members.  Mr. Grgurina supported the Board in its search, to ensure the new CEO would uphold SFHP’s mission to improve health outcomes of the diverse San Francisco communities through successful partnerships.

Mr. Grgurina announced his retirement on August 6, 2021, after 14 years with SFHP and a distinguished career in health care that spans three decades.

“Finding someone committed to SFHP’s mission and culture to support our members, the safety net providers of San Francisco and our staff were the most important factors to me.” said John F. Grgurina, Jr. ”Yolanda is a true advocate of affordable health care for all and has had a lifelong commitment to service with proven capabilities to lead through extraordinary times; I am confident she will guide SFHP through its next stage of evolution.”

Secretary Richardson has more than 20 years of healthcare leadership experience, including her current role as Governor Newsom’s Secretary of the California Government Operations Agency, leading 11 state departments and offices essential to the effective administration of California state government.  In January 2021, Governor Newsom called on Yolanda to help increase the pace of vaccine administration statewide and ensure vaccines were distributed equitably.  She launched a “Get Out the Vaccine” campaign in partnership with UCLA and community organizations statewide to promote vaccinations, knocking on more than three million doors to help Californians access the COVID-19 vaccine. For her wide-ranging work during the pandemic, Yolanda was named “Public Administrator of the Year” in 2021 by the American Society of Public Administration (Sacramento Chapter) and one of five “Warrior Women” leading the fight against COVID-19 in 2021 by California Women Lead.

Prior to joining the Agency, Secretary Richardson helped found Covered California, one of the nation’s most successful health insurance exchanges.  Beginning in 2011, she helped grow the organization to become one of the nation’s most successful Affordable Care Act exchanges.  By the time she left the role of Chief Deputy Executive Director in 2016, Richardson’s efforts had helped enroll millions of Californians in health coverage and cut the state’s rate of the uninsured by half.

“I am honored to be selected to lead SFHP, a strong, innovative organization with a compassionate mission and an outstanding network of health care providers, staff and members,” said Secretary Richardson.  ”I am excited to return to SFHP where I once served as COO and as CEO, I will continue to build on SFHP’s innovative culture and advance its vision into the future.”

“There are no words to describe the remarkable impact that John F. Grgurina, Jr. has had on SFHP and the San Francisco community. He has shepherded SFHP through a remarkable decade and a half, with an extraordinary increase in the member population. Although he will be sorely missed, we wish him nothing but the best on his well-deserved retirement,” said SFHP Governing Board Chair, Dr. Steven Fugaro, MD. “Secretary Richardson has proven to be a dynamic leader and the Board strongly believes that she is the right person to carry on Mr. Grgurina’ s legacy of optimizing the MediCal experience for our Members, Providers and Team Members. We look forward to this next chapter in our organization’s extraordinary history.”

San Francisco Health Plan is an NCQA Accredited Medi-Cal health plan providing no-cost and affordable health coverage to over 160,000 low and moderate-income families residing in San Francisco.

About San Francisco Health Plan

San Francisco Health Plan (SFHP) has a rating of 4 out of 5 in NCQA’s Medicaid Health Plan Ratings 2021. SFHP is a licensed community health plan providing affordable health coverage to over 160,000 low and moderate-income families residing in San Francisco. SFHP is designed for and by the residents it serves—many of whom would not be able to otherwise obtain health care for themselves or their families. Through SFHP, members have access to a full spectrum of medical services including preventive care, hospitalization, prescription drugs, family planning, and substance abuse programs. SFHP’s mission is to improve health outcomes of the diverse San Francisco communities through successful partnerships. San Francisco Health Plan is also the third-party administrator for the nationally recognized Healthy San Francisco program. For more information on SFHP, visit www.sfhp.org.

About NCQA

NCQA is a private, non-profit organization dedicated to improving health care quality. NCQA accredits and certifies a wide range of health care organizations and recognizes clinicians in key clinical areas. It also recognizes clinicians and practices in key areas of performance. NCQA’s Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS®) is the most widely used performance measurement tool in health care. NCQA’s website (ncqa.org) contains information to help consumers, employers and others make more-informed health care choices. NCQA can be found online at ncqa.org, on Twitter @ncqa, on Facebook at facebook.com/NCQA.org/ and on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/company/ncqa.