In memory: Dr. Paul R. Willging
Posted: May 24, 2011
Paul R. Willging, Ph.D.
Paul R. Willging, Ph.D., ATSU Board of Trustees member and former long-time president and CEO of the American Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted Living (AHCA/NCAL), died May 21 at age 69 after losing a battle with cancer.
Dr. Willging led AHCA/NCAL for 16 years in the 1980s and ’90s. He also was past president and CEO of the Assisted Living Federation of America. Additionally, Dr. Willging was deputy administrator of the Health Care Financing Administration (now the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services). Prior to his advocacy and CMS posts, Dr. Willging worked at Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Greater New York and was chair of Howard County General Hospital, as well as chair of the Howard County Commission on Aging. Most recently, he was a senior associate at Johns Hopkins University’s Bloomberg School of Public Health and associate director of the University’s Center on Aging and Health.
“Paul was a resounding voice for long-term care, paving the way for the future of the profession while spearheading a focus on quality care for our nation’s seniors,” said Gov. Mark Parkinson, president and CEO of AHCA/NCAL.
Dr. Willging’s awards included the Vesta Bowden Award for Outstanding Service to the Long Term Care Industry in 2000. A devotee of German studies, Dr. Willging also achieved a 1963-64 Fulbright Scholarship at the Free University in Berlin. He is survived by his wife and two daughters.
A memorial service for Dr. Willging will be held Friday, May 27 at noon at the chapel at Bon Secours Spiritual Center, 1525 Marriottsville Road, Marriottsville, MD 21104, phone 410.442.1320. A luncheon will immediately follow the service. Memorial donations may be made to:
Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center
100 North Charles Street, Suite 234
Baltimore, MD 21201
http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/kimmel_cancer_center/our_center/make_gift/
or
Gilchrist Hospice Care, Inc.
11311 McCormick Road, Suite 350
Hunt Valley, MD 21031