Pa. Secretary of Health Wins APA’s Javits Award

Rachel Levine, M.D. (second from right), was presented with APA’s 2018 Javits Award at a ceremony last month in Lafayette, Pa. She is the Secretary of Health for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and a professor of pediatrics and psychiatry at the Penn State College of Medicine. The ceremony was held during the Pennsylvania Psychiatric Society (PPS) Patient Safety and Risk Management Conference. With her are (from left) Rajnish Mago, M.D., chair of the PPS State Educational Committee; Anita Everett, M.D., chief medical officer of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration and immediate past APA president; and Deborah Ann Shoemaker, M.D., executive director of the PPS.

The Javits Award is given to a public servant who has made significant contributions to the field of mental health and worked to better the lives of people with mental illness and underserved populations. The award honors the legacy of U.S. Sen. Jacob K. Javits of New York, who achieved many successes during his long Senate career on behalf of those with mental illness and on matters related to substance use disorders.

Levine was nominated by the PPS for, among other reasons, her leadership in combatting the opioid epidemic. She signed a standing order for naloxone, enabling pharmacies in Pennsylvania to dispense this life-saving treatment to thousands, and headed efforts to establish opioid prescribing guidelines and prescribing education for medical students.

In addition, noted Everett in her opening remarks, “Dr. Levine is a leading force in the fight for recognition of the toxic effects of bias in all aspects of health care, particularly as it pertains to the LGBTQ community. As part of the governor’s office’s efforts to educate the medical community and configure LGBTQ-inclusive programs and processes, she has traveled throughout the state to lecture and ensure a visible presence regarding the importance of the provision of fair and equitable health care services.”

Levine was recently recognized as one of NBC’s Pride 30, a national list of 30 people who are both members of and making a difference in the lives of the LGBTQ community.

Past winners of the Javits Award include Sen. Harry Reid; Sen. Gordon Smith; Sen. Olympia Snowe; Judge Stephen V. Manley, J.D., of the Superior Court of Santa Clara County, Calif.; and Dave Jones, California insurance commissioner. ■