Chuck Dietzen’s motivation for seeking the Republican nomination for the 5th Congressional District seat is the opportunity to serve youth.
“My deep conviction to serve children and communities is what motivates me,” Dietzen said. “Some important and far-reaching issues will be decided in Washington in the near future, and I want to make sure we make health care work for patients. Socialized medicine does not work. I want to ensure our families and communities thrive. To do that, we must protect our constitutional freedoms.”
The 58-year-old Zionsville resident is the former chief of pediatric rehabilitation medicine at Riley Hospital for Children. He is the founder of Timmy Global Health, a nonprofit devoted to expanding health care access in developing nations.
“The students that I have mentored through Timmy Global Health, as well as my patients and their parents, have encouraged me to run for the past 20 years,” Dietzen said.
When Republican incumbent Susan Brooks decided not to seek reelection, Dietzen said he was ready for the next phase of his work.
“The values that were instilled in me by my parents, faith, freedom and family, are important to the 5th District here in central Indiana,” he said. “I love the state of Indiana and I love this country. I hope to bring Hoosier values to Washington, D.C. When I see a problem, I don’t just acknowledge it and complain about it. I roll up my sleeves and get to work on solving it.”
Dietzen said he has traveled the world delivering care to children in 20 nations and helped develop health care in more than 36.
“I am in constant contact with my Chinese colleagues and with other colleagues across the globe, and we are perpetually strategizing and devising solutions to improve global health care in countries that have government-run health care,” he said. “I have witnessed these health care systems firsthand and can attest that a government-run health system is not a productive system. It hinders what we as medical practitioners are trying to do for our patients. Heath care means that we have a healthy workforce, and a healthy workforce means a healthy economy.”
Timmy Global Heath was named for Dietzen’s older brother, Timmy, who died in infancy. His parents, Anita and Cornelius Dietzen, who lived in Kokomo, were active in the foster care program.
“My experiences growing up in a hard-working, loving family that raised 150 foster children, in addition to me and my natural-born siblings, including Timmy, had a profound impact on the development of my values,” Dietzen said. “I grew up with brothers and sisters of all shapes, sizes, colors, abilities and disabilities, and it was a wonderful way to grow up. I’m pro-life because the foster children that came to our home had mothers who chose life and allowed those beautiful children to be a part of my life.
“The children I have dedicated my life to caring for and that I hold so dear are my spiritual leaders, and I value them. Life is precious.”
Dietzen said he will continue to support Timmy Global Health financially and as an advisor.
“As my campaign team is aware, my global health work, caring for underserved children here and abroad, is still a priority for me. Timmy Global Health is under the direction of a very capable executive director,” Dietzen said.
