Patti Bellock has dedicated her public service career to ensuring access to quality health care for Illinois’ most vulnerable population and making the state’s health care delivery systems more efficient and effective. She has been nationally recognized for the central role she has played in establishing major healthcare reforms and improvements. She has also led efforts to strengthen the child support system in Illinois.
As a State Representative in the Illinois General Assembly for 20 years, Director Bellock developed her reputation for bipartisan, collaborative work. She served as a member of two Medicaid-related groups to move legislation forward, approving the Hospital Assessment and the Omnibus Medicaid bill. She effectively co-led efforts in the General Assembly to move Illinois toward managed care. Her extensive work on Medicaid reform in Illinois has been recognized by the Wall Street Journal. Director Bellock helped to shepherd approval of Better Care Illinois, the state’s landmark 1115 Medicaid waiver approved earlier this year for ten pilot programs in mental health and substance abuse.
Director Bellock was the first woman Deputy Minority Leader in the history of Illinois. She served as a spokesperson on both the House Human Services Committee and the Human Services – Appropriations Committee. She also served on committees with three different national organizations working on health care legislation and public policy issues throughout the United States.
One of Director Bellock’s signature achievements in the General Assembly was the landmark Save Medicaid Access and Resources Together (SMART) Act reforms of 2012. She served as Chairperson of the Medicaid Reform, Family & Children Committee from 2009-2011 under Speaker Madigan; the group which started the work on improving Illinois’ Medicaid program that culminated with passage of comprehensive reforms in 2012.
Director Bellock has received state and national awards for her role in numerous community projects and has served on several local boards and task forces for groups addressing the issues of Taxes, Substance Abuse, Alzheimer's, Autism, Human Services, Mental Health, Multiple Sclerosis, Violence Prevention, Human Trafficking and the Arts.