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Governor Kevin Stitt has announced that Tom Bates will lead a new initiative by the Governor’s office titled “Front Porch.”

This move was made to better integrate services provided by Oklahoma’s state health and human services agencies.  As part of “Front Porch,” Bates will be developing a plan to simplify and streamline the ways Oklahomans interact with health and human services agencies by working with the Governor’s cabinet and the directors of the Oklahoma Health Care Authority, the Department of Health, the Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services, the Department of Human Services, and the Office of Juvenile Affairs, among others.

Bates will continue to serve as Interim Commissioner at the State Department of Health until a new Commissioner is appointed in the coming days. At which point, Bates will move into a full time leadership role for the special initiative, operating out of the Oklahoma Health Care Authority.

Bates joined the Department of Health after accounting challenges led to an unnecessary $30 million dollar supplemental appropriation, which was returned to the legislature this year in the FY20 budgeting process. In his 17 months at the agency, Bates worked to rebuild the agency’s trust with legislators and other stakeholders in the face of the accounting challenge, while also realigning the organization to provide more focus on healthcare outcomes and develop the state’s approach to managing its medical marijuana program.