N.Y. Attorney General Honored For Drug-Safety Crusade

APA's prestigious Jacob K. Javits Public Service Award was presented to New York State Attorney General Eliot Spitzer in his office last month.

Each year the Javits Award is given to a public official whose service in office has had a significant, positive impact on the field of psychiatry and the quality and accessibility of mental health care.

“The public and APA are indebted to Attorney General Spitzer for his work to give people greater access to information on the safety and effectiveness of medications,” said Tom Noyes, M.D., chair of APA's Committee on Government Relations, which bestows the award. “Through the power of his office, Mr. Spitzer has helped physicians and patients—in New York and all across the country—make more informed treatment decisions. Mr. Spitzer's actions benefit patients no matter what illnesses they confront.”

The Javits Award is named for the late U.S. Sen. Jacob K. Javits of New York. Javits, a Republican, served in the Senate from 1957 to 1981 and dedicated his decades-long public service career to issues ranging from civil rights to health care.

Like Spitzer, Javits was a lawyer and attorney general of the state of New York (1954-1957). ▪