Robert J. Franko, CEO

Bob Franko is Chief Executive Officer of HealthFirst Bluegrass, a community health center serving central Kentucky. Previously, Bob worked at Cherokee Health Systems in Knoxville, TN, and at Porter-Starke Services, a community mental health center in Valparaiso, IN. Bob has worked in health care since 1991. He graduated from Purdue University with both his undergrad and MBA degrees. He has been published in a text about health disparities in Appalachia, was the chief author of a study of New Hampshire’s health system, consulted with the Dr. David Satcher Health Leadership Institute, and worked with a number of State health administrators.

Bob has worked with over 4,000 health care professionals on the integration of primary and behavioral health, in over 200 organizations in 49 states. He has presented at a number of national and state conferences on integrated care, and consulted with dozens of Primary Care Associations, managed care organizations, and state administrators on the model. Bob also served as chairman of the HealthLinc (Valparaiso, IN) Community Health Center board of directors, as well as with a number of other non-profits supporting homelessness prevention, mental health, substance abuse and domestic violence.