Aguilar Named Chair of Senate Health and Human Services Committee

Tuesday, December 18 2012

DENVER - Colorado Senate Majority Leader Morgan Carroll (D-Aurora) has named Senator Irene Aguilar, M.D. (D-Denver) as chair of the Senate Health and Human Services Committee.  

Senator Aguilar, who was also elected Senate Assistant Majority Leader in November, has enjoyed a long career as a primary care physician. She has developed a strong interest in issues surrounding health care availability and coverage, and worked with other Colorado legislators on health care bills and committees even before she was elected to the Senate in 2010. She has been a member of the Health and Human Services Committee since taking office.

“I am honored to be named the chair of Health and Human Services, and I’m looking forward to working on the vital issues this committee will deal with for the people of Colorado,” said Aguilar. “Health insurance naturally received a great deal of attention during the election cycle, but there is so much more to strive for when it comes to creating a healthier state. We need robust discussions on issues such as services for the disabled, reproductive health, obesity and diet, mental health and other topics, and I’m confident this committee will move good legislation forward in 2013.”

Senator Aguilar is a first-generation U.S. resident who became valedictorian of her high school class, and went on to earn her medical degree from the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine. She has worked for more than two decades at the Denver Health Westside Family Health Center. Her list of other experiences includes service with:

• The Minority Health Advisory Committee at the Colorado Department of Health
• The Long-Term Care Advisory Committee with the Colorado Department of Health Care Policy and Financing
• The Colorado Developmental Disabilities Council
• The Colorado House Task Force on Health Care for Vulnerable Populations
• The Colorado Board of Medical Examiners
• The Health Benefits Advisory Board of the Colorado Division of Insurance