Tufts Health Plan today announced Juan Lopera has been appointed vice president of business diversity. In this new role, Lopera will work in close collaboration with leadership across the company’s three principal business divisions – Commercial products, Senior products, and Medicaid/subsidized plans – to implement strategies to increase Tufts Health Plan’s presence in diverse communities.
Demographics across the state point to growing diversity. For example, recent census data indicates that Suffolk County now has 52 percent of residents identifying as diverse. Similarly, Worcester County is a “majority-minority” community. Businesses – large and small – are employing an increasingly diverse workforce. In addition, research demonstrates that racial and ethnic health status differences exist and there is opportunity to improve the delivery of care.
“With our mission to improve the health and wellness of the diverse communities we serve, we need to further increase awareness of Tufts Health Plan in these communities,” said Thomas Croswell, president and COO of Tufts Health Plan. “Juan’s role includes making important community and stakeholder connections to ensure our business is inclusive and supports all the diverse segments we serve.”
“It is important for health care organizations to more intimately understand consumers and their communities, recognizing that one size does not fit all,” said Lopera. “For this reason we are expanding our efforts to address consumer needs based on race, ethnicity, language preference, sexual orientation, disability status and veteran status, just to provide a few examples.”
Lopera joined Tufts Health Plan in 2010 as director of Health Care Services. Prior to that, he served at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts as director of affordability strategies.
Outside of Tufts Health Plan, Lopera is a member of the Association of Latino Professionals for America (ALPFA). As the executive vice president of the Boston chapter of ALPFA, Lopera initiated a new focus on the health care industry and created the ALPFA Health Care group in Boston, designed to support Latino professionals in the industry. Lopera is also a board member for the Dimock Community Health Center. He received the Health Care Hero award from the Whittier Street Health Center in Boston for his efforts on diversity and health care and was named among this year’s 40 Under 40 by the Boston Business Journal.