Kirk D. Smith has been appointed President & CEO of the Greater Flint Health Coalition (GFHC) by its Board of Directors. Mr. Smith’s selection was announced today by Michigan State Senator Deborah Cherry, Chair of the GFHC’s Board of Directors. Mr. Smith has served as Interim Chief Executive Officer of the GFHC since January, 2010.
“Over the past six months while Kirk has served as Interim CEO, the Greater Flint Health Coalition Board has thoroughly evaluated his capabilities and leadership skills,” said Senator Cherry. “During that time, he has demonstrated significant knowledge of the issues facing the community relative to our citizen’s health status and our health care system’s challenges as it seeks to provide quality and cost effective care at the local level. Combined with his spirit and vision for getting diverse healthcare and community partners to work together, the Board is pleased to have Kirk as our President & CEO.”
Prior to being named Interim CEO of the Greater Flint Health Coalition in January, Mr. Smith served as its Vice President & Chief Operating Officer with a broad range of executive and programmatic responsibilities since joining the organization in 2005.
“I greatly appreciate the Board’s appointment of me as the Greater Flint Health Coalition’s President & CEO,” Smith said. “The Health Coalition is a unique organization not just in Michigan, but nationally, and it is a true honor to work alongside such a dynamic group of community leaders. As Genesee County and the State as a whole encounter some of our most challenging times, the collaborative efforts of our local healthcare providers, insurers, government, employers, community organizations, and citizens through the Health Coalition have the opportunity to make a number of positive, necessary changes to help our community become healthier.”
Smith, 31, is a native of Flint, Michigan. He earned his bachelor’s degree in Psychology from The University of Michigan and master’s degree in Health Service Administration from The University of Michigan School of Public Health. He and his wife, Stephanie, reside in Fenton with their son.
The Greater Flint Health Coalition is a 501(c)3 designated non-profit healthcare coalition whose two-fold mission is to improve the health status of Genesee County residents and to improve the quality and cost effectiveness of the health care delivery system in the community. Established in 1996, the GFHC is a community / institutional partnership and multifaceted collaboration, with a Board membership that is a broad reflection of the community’s leadership – including hospitals, physicians, government, public health, labor, business, insurers, education, consumers, and the faith-based community.
The Coalition’s vision is a healthy Genesee County community practicing healthy lifestyles with access to the best and most cost effective health and medical care. Since its formation, the GFHC has become a neutral table in which cutting-edge, collaborative initiatives related to health care access, quality, cost, and health improvement can be addressed to improve the community’s health status.
