WQIO Ohio's Super Station
Tracy Cloud
The Licking County Health Department’s (LCHD) Board of Health recently named Tracy Cloud, CEO of Lower Lights Christian Health Center, as the 2023 Public Health Guardian Award recipient. The award recognizes an individual, agency, or program that has made a significant contribution to the promotion and protection of public health in Licking County.
Tracy is a seasoned healthcare executive with a passion for promoting health equity and access to healthcare. Throughout her 20+ years in healthcare, Tracy has focused on serving complex and vulnerable populations through government-funded healthcare programs and currently serves as CEO at Lower Lights Christian Health Center, a Federally Qualified Health Center serving 14,000 patients in central Ohio.
“Lower Lights Health provides whole-person care including services for the body, mind, and spirit, from primary care to behavioral health and even spiritual care. We are committed to providing access to care for everyone in Licking County, regardless of whether they have insurance or not,” says Cloud. “In May, we opened our brand new health center on Terrace Avenue and moved our services, which we originally provided at the Health Department. But from the beginning, our local partners and the Newark community have been incredibly welcoming and supportive of our mission. We are delighted to be part of all the good things happening in Licking County.”
“LCHD and the Board of Health appreciate Tracy’s leadership at Lower Lights, and her dedication to serving others. She is well deserving of the award, and we look forward to continuing to partner with her and Lower Lights to protect public health in Licking County,” says Licking County Health Commissioner, Chad Brown.
Before joining Lower Lights, Tracy spent five years as Vice President of Operations at a Medicaid Managed Care Plan. Tracy led the Operations division through a transformational period as membership expanded statewide and the company added new government-funded insurance products. Before her work in Managed Care, she spent a decade in state government working on policy and operations for the Ohio Medicaid program. Tracy lives in Westerville, Ohio with her husband and four children.
