Charlie Baker was sworn in as the seventy-second governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts at noon on Thursday. He succeeds Deval Patrick who made the traditional “lone walk” out of the front door of the State House on Wednesday evening, signifying his return to private citizenship.
In his inaugural speech, Baker said, “Healthcare costs are an enormous burden on everyone, dragging down our collective ability to grow and hire more people. We'll pursue many paths on this challenge.” He called for “full price and performance transparency”. Baker also labeled opiate addiction an “epidemic” and said, “As Governor, I intend to tackle this problem head on.” Last fall, MHA created a Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment Task Force and informed then-Governor-elect Baker of its existence and the desire to work collaboratively with his administration to end the opiate addiction problem.
After the speech, MHA President & CEO Lynn Nicholas, FACHE, said, “An imperative of anyone who cares about our state – from Governor Patrick to Governor Baker, to MHA and the members we represent – is to preserve the successful parts of our healthcare system while working to improve the rest. It's an important challenge since healthcare is a foundation of our economy and our state’s global reputation. We look forward to working closely with Governor Baker to help him as he leads Massachusetts, and we wish him the best of luck.”