Congressman Salazar congratulates Marguerite Salazar on her appointment as U.S. Health and Human Services (HHS) Regional Director

Obama administration taps San Luis Valley resident to fill important post

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, U.S. Congressman John Salazar offered congratulations to fellow San Luis Valley resident Marguerite Salazar on her appointment as U.S. Health and Human Services Regional Director for region VIII  which includes Colorado, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah and Wyoming. The Department of Health and Human Services is the United States government's principal agency for protecting the health of all Americans and providing essential human services, especially for those who are least able to help themselves. The department includes more than 300 programs covering a wide spectrum of activities.
On Ms. Salazar’s appointment, Congressman Salazar offered the following statement:

“For years Marguerite Salazar has dedicated herself to providing effective and affordable health care for those who need it most in our region. Her efforts over the years have been innovative and progressive and it is a testimony to those efforts that she has been chosen by the Obama Administration for this important position. I wish her congratulations and the best of luck as she continues her life’s work of providing state-of-the-art health care to those in need.”

Marguerite Salazar has served as President/CEO of Valley Wide Health Services, Inc. (VWHS) since 1989. VWHS is one of the largest rural Community Health Centers in the country, providing primary care to over 40,000 residents of the San Luis, Lower Arkansas and Upper Arkansas Valleys in Southern Colorado. Previously, Ms. Salazar directed Access Social Work Service, a firm that contracted with local public health departments, hospitals and nursing homes to provide social work services. Ms. Salazar is a Fellow in the National Hispana Leadership Institute as well as a Livingston Fellow in the Bonfil Stanton Foundation, a Trustee for the Temple Hoyne Buell Foundation and was appointed by Governor Bill Ritter, Jr. to the Board of Governors for Colorado State University. She was appointed by Governor Bill Owens to serve as a Policy Board Member for the Colorado Children’s Basic Health Plan. In 1999, she was awarded the Bernie Valdez Award for Excellence in Health from the Latin American Research and Service Agency (LARASA). She holds a Master’s degree in counseling psychology from Adams State College in Colorado.