LEGISLATIVE RESOLUTION honoring Dennis P. Whalen upon the occasion of
his designation as recipient of the Distinguished Service Award by the
Healthcare Association of New York State

WHEREAS, This Legislative Body is justly proud to honor Dennis P. Whalen
upon the occasion of his designation as recipient of the Distinguished
Service Award by the Healthcare Association of New York State to be
celebrated at its Annual Membership Conference on Thursday, June 23,
2016; and
WHEREAS, Dennis P. Whalen reportedly first worked for the New York
State Health Department in the summer of 1971, mowing the lawn; and
WHEREAS, Later in his career, Dennis P. Whalen was often acknowledged
to be "the adult in the room"; and
WHEREAS, A respected healthcare leader, Dennis P. Whalen has been an
unwavering advocate for improving healthcare in New York State for more
than four decades, holding key leadership positions in state government,
with six governors of both political parties, in positions of increasing
responsibility; he has served as President of HANYS since 2013, and will
retire in July of this year; and
WHEREAS, Throughout his illustrious career, Dennis P. Whalen has
established a reputation for his knowledge, credibility, and capacity to
reconcile conflict and achieve consensus on complex health policy
issues; and
WHEREAS, Furthermore, while at the Department of Health during the
1990s, Dennis P. Whalen was an advisor on the deregulation of hospital
rate-setting, negotiating and implementing changes to a system that had
been in place in New York State for more than 20 years; and
WHEREAS, Dennis P. Whalen was the senior state official for the Berger
Commission, developing and implementing the Commission's recommenda-
tions, targeting substantial funds for improvements in the operation and
efficiency of healthcare delivery; and
WHEREAS, Dennis P. Whalen is widely known as a "healthcare guru" due
to his extensive knowledge in not only developing healthcare policy, but
also successfully implementing it in the real world; much of that expe-
rience comes from his work in state government, including serving as
Director of State Operations, where he oversaw all 78 Executive Branch
agencies, directed the Governor's policymaking staff of deputy secre-
taries, and advised the Governor on all state operational matters; and
WHEREAS, This esteemed man has also served as Deputy Secretary for
Health and Human Services, and for a decade he served as Executive Depu-
ty Commissioner of the Department of Health; and
WHEREAS, With a longstanding dedication to AIDS activism, Dennis P.
Whalen previously served as Director of the Office of Health Systems
Management and Director of the New York State AIDS Institute; and
WHEREAS, At HANYS, Dennis P. Whalen has played a critical role in
advising the healthcare field on issues including the Delivery System
Reform Incentive Payment (DSRIP), the most significant restructuring of
Medicaid payments since the deregulation of rates in 1996; and
WHEREAS, Dennis P. Whalen has been the recipient of numerous awards
and accolades for his superlative work, including New York State Distin-
guished Service Awards from the State University of New York School of
Public Health, and from the Nelson A. Rockefeller College of Public
Affairs; and
WHEREAS, Dennis P. Whalen has been a key figure in the most important
healthcare policy issues over the past 40 years, conducting himself with
professionalism and civility, and delivering results that have made a
positive difference in the lives of all New Yorkers; and

WHEREAS, In addition to his sterling professional career, those clos-
est to Dennis P. Whalen know him as a man who puts family first; he also
has a true passion for music and has played in several bands; now,
therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
honor Dennis P. Whalen upon the occasion of his designation as recipient
of the Distinguished Service Award by the Healthcare Association of New
York State; and be it further
RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be tran-
smitted to Dennis P. Whalen.