Manny Lopes has been named executive vice president of public markets and government relations at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts (Blue Cross). Prior to joining Blue Cross, Lopes was the president and CEO of East Boston Neighborhood Health Center (EBNHC), Massachusetts’ largest and one of the country’s largest community health centers.
- Affairs: In his new position, Lopes is in charge of Medicare, as well as government and regulatory affairs. From 2017 until joining the company’s leadership team, Lopes served on the Blue Cross board of directors.
- Leader: “Manny is a seasoned leader who’s highly respected in our community,” said Blue Cross President and CEO Andrew Dreyfus. “His demonstrated leadership and decades-long commitment to bettering health outcomes for the most vulnerable will be an asset as we continue to push forward with our work to address health inequities.”
- Innovations: Lopes has a lengthy track record of creating innovative healthcare programs that promote quality, access, and equity. EBNHC expanded rapidly during his supervision, virtually doubling the number of patients serviced and establishing two state-of-the-art facilities.
- Health care: He is a co-founder of the Community Care Collaborative (C3), the state’s only ACO founded and run by health centers and dedicated only to enhancing community-based care for MassHealth members. Lopes also co-founded Advocates for Community Health, a national advocacy organization focused on equity and effect for innovative health facilities.
- Leadership: “I’m excited to join the Blue Cross leadership team at such a pivotal time,” said Lopes. “The team has been working hard to close the gaps that exist as a result of health inequities, and I’m hopeful that in this new role, I can complement that work by bringing perspective from my many years at EBNHC.”