Gwen Cooper

President & Chief Executive Officer at Accessia Health

Gwen Cooper became CEO of Accessia Health in 2020 bringing over 25 years of executive experience in all facets of nonprofit management, from leading statewide voluntary health organization fundraising and advocacy platforms to serving as an executive in muti-state healthcare delivery systems. Since joining Accessia Health, Cooper renamed and branded the organization, formerly known as Patient Services, Inc., to Accessia Health to best position the national nonprofit for exponential growth with an expanded mission of providing patient assistance to all people regardless of their zip code or diagnosis. Cooper’s career successes span multi-states having served as CEO Community Health Charities of Florida for a dozen years followed by a senior executive position with a Louisville, KY based innovative and groundbreaking $100M Community Mental Health Center. Prior to Accessia Health Cooper served as the SVP External Affairs/Chief Marketing Officer for the nation’s 19th largest nonprofit hospice & palliative care organization spanning 41 Kentucky and Indiana counties. Considered a subject matter expert in person-centered care delivery, Cooper has worked on notable Federal advocacy campaigns, including the rollout of Medicare Part D, 21st Century Cures Act, Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery (CARA) Act, Palliative Care and Hospice Education and Training Act (PCHETA) and The Coronavirus Aid Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act. At the multi-state level, she has authored and passed new policies every year since 2010, ensuring people have access to medications, palliative care, addiction treatment, social and community services and mental health services. Cooper was recently appointed to the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute’s (PCORI) Patient Engagement Advisory Panel for a 3-year term and serves on the boards of the Kentuckiana Chapter of American Lung Association and the Kentuckiana Health Collaborative as well as a member of the Forbes Nonprofit Council and Women Business Leaders in the Healthcare Industry. She received her BA in Mass Communications with a minor in Speech Communications from University of South Florida and a Master of Public Affairs & Nonprofit Management from Indiana University. She has maintained the Certified Fundraising Credential since 2010. When not advocating for patients and families, Gwen can be found spending much of her time outdoors with her husband and youngest son on their farm in southern Indiana. Her oldest son, along with most of her immediate family members, are serving or have served in our military.