The mission of the Utah Department of Health is to protect the public's health by preventing avoidable illness, injury, disability and premature death; ensuring access to affordable, quality health care; and promoting healthy lifestyles.

The Utah Department of Human Services (DHS) works to keep children, adults and families safe from further harm. DHS works to give children stable living arrangements that provide long-term, nurturing relationships. DHS works to see that children, adults and families live in safe, supportive communities.

Adult Protective Services is responsible for programs that prevent and investigate elder abuse, neglect or exploitation.

The Division of Aging and Adult Services administers services for Utah residents 60 and older, including health insurance, legal help, elder abuse prevention and home-based meal delivery. The department is divided into 12 local area Agencies on Aging. The agency's stated goal is to provide services that allow people to remain independent.

The mission of the Utah Insurance Department is to foster a healthy insurance market by promoting fair and reasonable practices that ensure available, affordable and reliable insurance products and services. The department aims to educate, serve and protect consumers, governmental agencies and insurance industry participants at a reasonable cost.

The Health Insurance Division & Office of Consumer Health Assistance regulates product pricing, review and filing of life and health insurance companies. It also fields consumer inquiries, complaints and recoveries, and helps interpret and administer Utah law.

AARP, formerly the American Association of Retired Persons, is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization with a membership that advocates for people ages 50 and older. Since 1958, AARP has lobbied for senior issues, including the passage of Medicare in 1965. AARP offers support from staffed offices in all 50 states, Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. AARP's Utah office is in Midvale.

The Senior Medicare Patrol (SMP) program helps Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries avoid, detect and prevent health care fraud. The goal is to protect older people and to preserve the integrity of the Medicare and Medicaid programs. The federal program was created in 1996 by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and amended in 2006 by Titles II and IV of the Older Americans Act.

The State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP) is a national program that offers counseling and assistance to people with Medicare and to their families. Coordinators provide counseling on Medicare benefits, Medicare Prescription Drug Plans (Part D), Social Security, Medicaid and veterans' benefits. SHIP, formerly the Information, Counseling and Assistance (ICA) grants program, was created under section 4360 of the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1990. This act authorized the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to make grants to states for health advisory services programs for people with Medicare.

The long-term care ombudsman advocates for residents of nursing homes and assisted living facilities. The office resolves complaints and educates seniors and long-term care providers about their rights and good care practices. The ombudsman also provides information to the public on nursing homes and other long-term care facilities and services, residents' rights, and legislative and policy issues. In 1978, an amendment to the federal Older Americans Act required every state to have an ombudsman program that addresses complaints and advocates for improvements in the long-term care system. The ombudsman program is administered by the Administration on Aging (AoA). In addition to the state ombudsman in Salt Lake City, Utah has 10 regional ombudsmen.

The Area Agencies on Aging (AAA) were established under the Older Americans Act (OAA) Comprehensive Services Amendments in 1973 to respond to the needs of Americans 60 and older in every local community. The amendments added a new Title V, which authorized grants to local community agencies in every state. The AAAs provide a range of options that allow older adults to choose the home- and community-based services and living arrangements that suit them best. Utah has 12 offices across the state.

Quality Improvement Organizations (QIOs) are private, mostly not-for-profit organizations, staffed by doctors and other health care professionals, who are trained to review medical care, to help beneficiaries with complaints about the quality of care and to implement improvements in the quality of care available throughout the spectrum of care. QIOs are required under Sections 1152-1154 of the Social Security Act.

Jim Sheets is the 14th administrator of LDS Hospital since 1905. In 2007, he joined as operations officer at LDS Hospital, which is overseen by Intermountain Healthcare. Previously, he was in professional services at Enloe Medical Center in California. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Management from the University of Utah and two master’s degrees in Business Administration and Healthcare Administration from the University of Minnesota.

Charles W. Sorenson has served as president and CEO of Intermountain Healthcare, which oversees Utah Valley Regional Medical Center, since 2009. Previously, he was Intermountain’s executive vice president and chief operations officer. He is a urologic surgeon by trade and is an adjunct professor of surgery at the University of Utah. He holds a bachelor’s degree at the University of Utah and a medical degree from Cornell University Medical College.

David Entwistle has served as CEO of the University of Utah Health Care since 2002. Previously, he was senior vice president and chief operating officer of the University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics in Madison, Wisc. He earned a bachelor’s degree in Health Sciences from Brigham Young University and a master’s degree in Health Services Administration from Arizona State University.

Charles W. Sorenson has served as president and CEO of Intermountain Healthcare, which oversees Utah Valley Regional Medical Center, since 2009. Previously, he was Intermountain’s executive vice president and chief operations officer. He is a urologic surgeon by trade and is an adjunct professor of surgery at the University of Utah. He holds a bachelor’s degree at the University of Utah and a medical degree from Cornell University Medical College.

Charles W. Sorenson has served as president and CEO of Intermountain Healthcare, which oversees Utah Valley Regional Medical Center, since 2009. Previously, he was Intermountain’s executive vice president and chief operations officer. He is a urologic surgeon and is an adjunct professor of surgery at the University of Utah. He holds a bachelor’s degree at the University of Utah and a medical degree from Cornell University Medical College.

This Senate committee considers matters pertaining to the health of Utah residents.

This House committee considers matters pertaining to the health of Utah residents.