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2010 SESSION
WHEREAS, Patrick W. Finnerty recently completed a 32-year public service career with the Commonwealth of Virginia, marked by innovation, transformation, and persistence; and
WHEREAS, a native of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Pat Finnerty was born on July 6, 1955, to loving parents Martin and the late Arlette Finnerty; he received a bachelor’s and master’s degree from Virginia Commonwealth University and is a member of the Phi Kappa Phi National Honor Society; and
WHEREAS, Pat Finnerty’s state career began in 1978 cutting his teeth on the nuances of state government service with positions within the Department of State Police and the Department of Planning and Budget; and
WHEREAS, from these early experiences, Pat Finnerty carried forth a solid understanding of the mechanics of state government to the Virginia State Employee Health Plan, where his career took an auspicious turn into the world of health care, with the Commonwealth benefitting ever since; and
WHEREAS, as the director of the state benefit program for over four years, Pat Finnerty steered the program into the managed care arena with determination and diligence; and
WHEREAS, despite initial resistance to his new approach to delivering health benefits to state employees in the Commonwealth, the resulting program, Key Advantage, quickly became a model of success throughout the Commonwealth; and
WHEREAS, Pat Finnerty joined the staff of the Virginia General Assembly’s Joint Commission on Health Care in 1994, serving for eight years, including the last three and one-half years as executive director; and
WHEREAS, Pat Finnerty’s exemplary leadership and collaborative approach to health policy issues during his tenure at the Joint Commission on Health Care were marked by numerous accomplishments, including the Commonwealth’s implementation of the federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (S-CHIP); and
WHEREAS, in 2002 Pat Finnerty was appointed Medicaid director, and for the past eight years, Pat Finnerty has offered extraordinary leadership and demonstrated a steady and strong hand at the helm of Virginia’s Medicaid program; and
WHEREAS, under Pat Finnerty’s direction, Virginia’s S-CHIP program was reformulated into the Family Access and Medical Insurance Security (FAMIS) program; and
WHEREAS, the FAMIS program has been recognized nationally for its outreach efforts resulting in the provision of health care to children in need and many of the program’s best practices, such as improving enrollment and reenrollment processes and increasing access to care, have served as a national benchmark; and
WHEREAS, Pat Finnerty led an effort to reform the dental care delivery model for children under Medicaid; and
WHEREAS, through his typically deliberative and inclusive approach, Pat Finnerty worked with stakeholders to develop a new dental program called Smiles For Children, that has received national acclaim as a model to be emulated by other states; and
WHEREAS, thanks in large measure to Pat Finnerty’s leadership, the results of the new dental program have been remarkable, with the number of participating dentists nearly doubling and the percentage of eligible children receiving dental services increasing approximately 60 percent; and
WHEREAS, Pat Finnerty has volunteered his time and talents on a regular basis, including with the Virginia Dental Health Foundation’s Mission of Mercy (MOM) project in remote and underserved areas of the state; and
WHEREAS, for all the numerous accomplishments and their positive impact on the lives of Virginia’s citizens, it is the genuine care for those affected by his work that truly sets Pat Finnerty apart, and that passion to assist those in need is what those with whom he has worked over the years most often cite as his greatest strength; and
WHEREAS, Pat Finnerty’s calmness, thoughtfulness, responsiveness, and good humor will be greatly missed by members of the General Assembly, staff at the Department of Medical Assistance Services, providers, consumers, advocates, and all health care trade associations; and
WHEREAS, Pat Finnerty has been supported in all his efforts by his loving wife, Carol, and their two sons, Ryan and Sean; he looks forward to continuing to travel to Key West, Florida, watching his favorite football teams, the Green Bay Packers and Notre Dame, and having time to pursue woodworking; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly commend Patrick W. Finnerty for his compelling 32 years of public service to the Commonwealth; and, be it
RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to Patrick W. Finnerty as an expression of the General Assembly’s gratitude for his longtime public service and dedication to the people of the Commonwealth.