Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Head Of State's Mental Health And Drug Addiction Agency Stepping Down

One of the leading figures in the state’s battle against the deadly opioid crisis is stepping down. The head of the Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services, who’s leaving six months before the end of the term of her boss, Gov. John Kasich.

Tracy Plouck was Medicaid director under Govs. Bob Taft and Ted Strickland. Kasich hired her to head the Department of Mental Health, which merged with Addiction Services in 2013. “We’re proud of the fact that we’ve not had to do any layoffs resulting from this. But every dollar that we save, we’re going to put into services,” Plouck said at the time.

Plouck helped push for Medicaid expansion. And as the opioid crisis escalated, Plouck spoke out for treatment and prevention, even as some called on the Kasich administration to declare an emergency. “I feel very strongly that we have been treating this like an emergency for the last six years,” Plouck said last fall.

Plouck helped oversee a challenging move of behavioral health services into Medicaid managed care on July 1.  She leaves for a private sector opportunity and will be replaced by the agency’s medical director Dr. Mark Hurst.

Tracy Plouck speaks at an event on new state guidelines for prescription painkillers in February.
Andy Chow /
Tracy Plouck speaks at an event on new state guidelines for prescription painkillers in February.
Gov. John Kasich and Tracy Plouck shared the stage at an event for the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill of Ohio in 2017.
Karen Kasler /
Gov. John Kasich and Tracy Plouck shared the stage at an event for the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill of Ohio in 2017.
Tracy Plouck speaks at the City Club of Cleveland in June 2018.
Screenshot, City Club Forum, ideastream.org /
Tracy Plouck speaks at the City Club of Cleveland in June 2018.

Copyright 2018 The Statehouse News Bureau

Contact Karen at 614/578-6375 or at kkasler@statehousenews.org.