Marylou Sudders

Last updated

Bradley Richardson
(m. 2003)
Marylou Sudders
Marylou Sudders MA Secretary photo (cropped).jpg
Official portrait, 2015
Secretary of Health and Human Services of Massachusetts
In office
January 8, 2015 January 5, 2023
Education Boston University (BA, MSW)
Website Government website

Marylou Sudders is an American lobbyist and former government official who served as Secretary of Health and Human Services of Massachusetts from January 8, 2015 to January 5, 2023. [2]

Contents

Career

On November 21, 2014, it was announced that Sudders would be appointed Secretary of Health and Human Services of Massachusetts, when Charlie Baker took office as Governor. [3] succeeding John Polanowicz. [4] She previously served as Massachusetts Commissioner of Mental Health, President & CEO of the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children and New Hampshire's Deputy Director and Acting Director of the Division of Mental Health and Developmental Services. [5]

On September 21, 2021 Sudders was added as a defendant to a lawsuit relating to the deaths of 83 people at the Holyoke Soldiers Home that died from incompetence at the facility that Sudders oversaw. The lawsuit stated that Sudders and her subordinates "turned a blind eye to what was happening at the home and acting with deliberate indifference to the risk posed by the pandemic, which led to the deaths of dozens of veterans." [6] On Friday, May 13, 2022 the Commonwealth of Massachusetts settled the case for fifty-six million dollars. [7] The United States Department of Justice had announced on April 10, 2020 they were also opening an investigation into the failures at the home. [8]

Sudders left office at the end of the Baker–Polito administration and joined the lobbying, public policy, and consulting firm of Smith, Costello and Crawford. [9] [10]

Sudders holds a bachelor’s degree with honors and a master’s degree in social work from Boston University, and honorary doctorates from the Massachusetts School of Professional Psychology and Bridgewater State University. [11] [12]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States Department of Health and Human Services</span> Department of the US federal government

The United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is a cabinet-level executive branch department of the U.S. federal government created to protect the health of the U.S. people and providing essential human services. Its motto is "Improving the health, safety, and well-being of America". Before the separate federal Department of Education was created in 1979, it was called the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare (HEW).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Massachusetts State House</span> State capitol building of the U.S. state of Massachusetts

The Massachusetts State House, also known as the Massachusetts Statehouse or the New State House, is the state capitol and seat of government for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, located in the Beacon Hill neighborhood of Boston. The building houses the Massachusetts General Court and the offices of the Governor of Massachusetts. The building, designed by architect Charles Bulfinch, was completed in January 1798 at a cost of $133,333, and has repeatedly been enlarged since. It is one of the oldest state capitols in current use. It is considered a masterpiece of Federal architecture and among Bulfinch's finest works, and was designated a National Historic Landmark for its architectural significance.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William F. Galvin</span> American politician

William Francis Galvin is an American politician who serves as the 27th Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth.

Terry L. Cline is an American psychologist and public health policy specialist from Oklahoma. Cline resigned on October 30, 2017 from the Oklahoma State Department of Health. He has served in various positions under Governors of Oklahoma Frank Keating (R), Brad Henry (D), and Mary Fallin (R). Cline resigned his position after financial mismanagement was discovered within the Oklahoma State Department of Health.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2010 Massachusetts gubernatorial election</span> Race for the office of Governor of the State of Massachusetts

The 2010 Massachusetts gubernatorial election was held on November 2, 2010. Incumbent Democratic Governor Deval Patrick was re-elected to a second term.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charlie Baker</span> American businessman & politician (born 1956)

Charles Duane Baker Jr. is an American businessman and politician who is the current president of the National Collegiate Athletic Association. A member of the Republican Party, he served as the 72nd governor of Massachusetts from 2015 to 2023, and held two cabinet positions under two previous governors of Massachusetts. He also served for ten years as the CEO of Harvard Pilgrim Health Care.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2014 Massachusetts gubernatorial election</span>

The 2014 Massachusetts gubernatorial election took place on November 4, 2014, to elect the Governor of Massachusetts, concurrently with the election of Massachusetts' Class II U.S. Senate seat, and other elections to the United States Senate in other states and elections to the United States House of Representatives and various state and local elections.

A Massachusetts general election was held on November 3, 1964, in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

The Massachusetts Executive Office of Health and Human Services (EOHHS) is a Cabinet level agency under the Governor of Massachusetts. EOHHS is the largest secretariat in Massachusetts, and is responsible for the Medicaid program, child welfare, public health, disabilities, veterans’ affairs, and elder affairs. In total, EOHHS oversees 17 state agencies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eric Lesser</span> American politician

Eric Philip Lesser is an American lawyer and politician who served in the Massachusetts State Senate. Before representing his hometown of Longmeadow, Massachusetts, and neighboring communities in the Greater-Springfield area, he worked as a White House aide during the Obama administration. Lesser is one of the originators of the White House Passover Seder. In the 2022 Massachusetts race for Lieutenant Governor, Lesser lost the Democratic primary to Kim Driscoll.

Francisco Urena is a Dominican-born American government official and former Marine who served as the Massachusetts Secretary of Veterans' Affairs and previously served as the Veterans' Services Officer for the cities of Boston and Lawrence, Massachusetts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Soldiers' Home in Holyoke</span> Hospital in Massachusetts, United States

The Soldiers' Home in Holyoke is a full-service veterans center and hospital located in Holyoke, Massachusetts, which maintains 247 beds in its main nursing facility, and a separate domiciliary care building with 30 full-time residents. The facility provides long-term care and outpatient medical services, as well as dental and social services, and programming and events for veterans. Operated by the Massachusetts Department of Veterans' Services, it is inspected annually by both the state and the United States Department of Veterans' Affairs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jon Santiago</span> American politician and physician

Jon Santiago is an American physician and Democratic politician who served in the Massachusetts state representative for the 9th Suffolk district from 2019 to March 2023. He ran a campaign for mayor of Boston in 2021, but withdrew from the race before the primary election.

The COVID-19 pandemic in Massachusetts is part of an ongoing pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. The first confirmed case was reported on February 1, 2020, and the number of cases began increasing rapidly on March 5. Governor Charlie Baker declared a state of emergency on March 10. By March 12, more than a hundred people had tested positive for the virus. Massachusetts experienced a first wave of COVID-19 that peaked in late April 2020, with almost 4,000 people hospitalized with the disease, and a rolling seven-day average of 2,300 new confirmed cases and 175 confirmed deaths a day. A second wave began in the autumn of the same year and peaked in January 2021, seeing higher daily case numbers but fewer deaths and hospitalizations than the first wave. There was a smaller third spike of increased cases and hospitalizations in March and April 2021, which resulted in significantly fewer deaths than the first two waves. A fourth wave began in July and August 2021. Another wave occurred in the winter of 2021 to 2022, coinciding with the emergence of the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant in the state, and exceeding the peak number of cases in any previous wave. As of January 13, 2022, Massachusetts was experiencing a rolling average of 13,314 new confirmed cases and 43 confirmed deaths per day.

The COVID-19 pandemic in Boston is part of an ongoing viral pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in the Massachusetts city of Boston. The first confirmed case was reported on February 1, 2020, and the number of cases began to increase rapidly by March 8. Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker declared a state of emergency on March 10. Mayor Marty Walsh declared a public health emergency on March 15. By March 21, more than a hundred people in Boston had tested positive for COVID-19. Most early cases were traceable to a company meeting held in late February by the biotechnology firm Biogen in Boston.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2021 Boston mayoral election</span> Election in Boston, Massachusetts

The 2021 Boston mayoral election was held on Tuesday, November 2, 2021, to elect the mayor of Boston, Massachusetts. Incumbent mayor Marty Walsh was eligible to seek a third term. However, he resigned as mayor on March 22, 2021, after being confirmed as secretary of labor in the Cabinet of Joe Biden. This left the Boston City Council president, at the time Kim Janey, to hold the role of acting mayor until the victor of the election would take office.

The following is a timeline of the COVID-19 pandemic in Boston.

The following is a timeline of the COVID-19 pandemic in Massachusetts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Secretary of Health and Human Services of Massachusetts</span> Government position

The Secretary of Health and Human Services of Massachusetts is the head of the Massachusetts Executive Office of Health and Human Services, and serves as an advisor to the Governor of Massachusetts. Its current Secretary is Kathleen E. Walsh, who has been serving since January 25, 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Massachusetts Executive Office of Veterans' Services</span> Massachusetts government agency

The Massachusetts Executive Office of Veterans' Services is a Commonwealth of Massachusetts organization whose focus is the protection of veterans and their families through support systems and emergency financial assistance. As an executive agency, the office is managed by a secretary who is appointed by the governor.

References

  1. "WEDDINGS/CELEBRATIONS; Marylou Sudders, Bradley Richardson (Published 2003)". The New York Times. August 31, 2003.
  2. "For Secretary Marylou Sudders combating sepsis is personal, too". Betsy Lehman Center.
  3. "Baker names Sudders as health and human services chief - The Boston Globe". BostonGlobe.com.
  4. "John Polanowicz Sworn in as Secretary of Health and Human Services". Northborough, MA Patch. January 23, 2013.
  5. "Marylou Sudders". School of Social Work. Boston College. Retrieved February 27, 2021.
  6. "HHS Secretary Sudders added to Holyoke Soldiers' Home lawsuit". September 21, 2021.
  7. "Massachusetts reaches a $56 million settlement for a deadly veteran's home Covid-19 outbreak". CNN . May 13, 2022.
  8. "Federal Investigation of the Soldiers' Home in Holyoke". April 10, 2020.
  9. Kuznitz, Alison (December 19, 2022). "Mass. HHS Secretary Marylou Sudders will retire next month". MassLive. Retrieved May 29, 2023.
  10. "Biography Marylou | Smith, Costello & Crawford".
  11. "Governor's Cabinet | Mass.gov". www.mass.gov.
  12. "Marylou Sudders - School of Social Work - Boston College". www.bc.edu.