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THE NEBRASKA HEALTH INSURANCE INFORMATION, COUNSELING, AND ASSISTANCE (NICA) PROGRAM

JUNE 2002 NICA NEWS

I have been looking forward to writing this letter and introducing myself to you as the new director of NICA. I plan on meeting as many of you as possible over the next few months and getting to know you on a personal level. Until that time, this column will have to do as my way of acquainting myself with you.

My name is Robin Szwanek, and I was born and raised in McCook, Nebraska. I graduated from North Platte Senior High in 1981 and attended Mid-Plains Community College for two years. After graduating from Kearney State College with a B.S. in Social Work, I started working for the Nebraska Dept. of Health and Human Services as a child-abuse investigator, and then as a Foster Care Licensing Specialist and Special Needs Caseworker. I joined the Nebraska Dept. of Insurance in 1996 as an Investigator of Life and Health insurance complaints with the Consumer Affairs Division. Two weeks ago I accepted the position of Program Coordinator for the NICA Division.

My husband, Jeff, is a North Platte native and works as a Seniors Application Analyst with First Data Corporation. We have two children; Andrea, age 16 and Doug, age 13. We are also the "parents" of a rather large, spoiled Boxer named Rocky. In my spare time, I enjoy going to garage sales and playing on a cribbage team.

I am really looking forward to the challenge of this new position. I believe there are many positive, friendly changes we can make in our area to best help Nebraska's senior citizens with their health insurance questions. My goal is to study our current system and, with the help of our volunteers and partners, come up with a plan that will work best for all of us.

Again, I look forward to meeting many of you personally. If you have any questions or comments for me, please don't hesitate to call, write or e-mail. With your help and cooperation, we will make a powerful team.

Until next time,

Robin Szwanek
Nica@doi.state.ne.us