Visit Our Partner Sites:
Carrie Fitzgerald is the Senior Director of Health Policy for First Focus. Before coming to First Focus in June, 2011, Carrie worked for almost five years at the Child and Family Policy Center (CFPC) in Des Moines, Iowa as the Senior Health Policy Associate. At CFPC Carrie addressed state and federal issues related to health care coverage for children and families including the reauthorization of CHIP and its implementation at the state level. Advocacy efforts from Carrie and the health care coalition in Iowa brought about significant changes and expansions to Iowa’s CHIP and Medicaid programs for children and parents. These changes include expanding coverage eligibility to 300% of poverty, covering lawfully residing immigrant children, implementing the Family Opportunity Act, and making Medicaid coverage continuous for 12 months.
Prior to joining CFPC Carrie worked for the Iowa Department of Public Health where she coordinated the children’s healthy mental development project (ABCDII) sponsored by the Commonwealth Fund. Carrie also served as the Health Department’s liaison to the state Part C/Early Intervention team, focusing on children’s health and development and access to services. Along with those assignments, Carrie served as a Title V Consultant to local Title V child health agencies across the state.
During the years before she worked for state government and on public policy, Carrie worked for a variety of direct service non-profit organizations. These jobs included advocating for abused and neglected children through the court and foster care systems, educating low-income families about how to access and maintain public supports and benefits, strengthening the parenting skills of teen mothers, and advocating for battered women and rape survivors in the legal system.
Carrie has a Bachelor’s of Arts degree in English from Drake University and is the mother of two children.
Stay Informed