Busansky spoke Tuesday, June 27, 2000 on "The Hillsborough Plan for Indigent Health Care: How We Mobilized the Community to Provide Primary Care Clinics for the Indigent." Sponsored by the UTMB President’s Council, the event was organized by the UTMB Institute for the Medical Humanities.

Hired for her current post in 1997, Busansky reports to the board of WAGES (Work and Gain Economic Self-sufficiency) coordinating policy and supporting 24 local coalitions charged with designing and coordinating reform at the community level.

Busansky was elected to the Hillsborough County Commission in 1988 as a reform candidate dedicated to ending the corruption of the previous decade. She served as Commission chairman in 1991 and was elected to a second term without opposition in 1992.

Believing that people should not live in fear of having their lives destroyed because of health problems, Busansky spearheaded the drive in Hillsborough County to create a primary health care program for the indigent and working poor. She has received local, state, and national acclaim for her role in establishing Hillsborough County’s Indigent Health Plan.

"The plan reduced health care costs to the public by providing preventive care and has made it possible for many Hillsborough County residents to work and care for themselves rather than turn to further government assistance," Busansky says. The Indigent Health Care Plan has won numerous national awards, including the Ford Foundation’s "Innovation" award, and is considered a model community health care initiative.

Busansky spent her early career in the Northeast in public sector employment and social services. She co-founded the private Boston Careers, Inc., which trained and counseled women seeking part-time employment and found or helped develop jobs for them. Subsequently, Busansky served as the deputy director for public service employment for the city of Boston’s program serving 3000 young people in federally funded jobs. After moving to Florida, she served as director of aging services and director of human resources for Hillsborough County.

Busansky has been recognized with numerous awards, culminating in her being named Public Official of the Year in 1995 by Governing magazine. She was also named 1996 Legislator of the Year by Project Return, an adult day care center for mentally handicapped adults.

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