[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 66 (Wednesday, May 24, 2000)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E823]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




HONORING THE SERVICE OF WALTER W. SHERVINGTON TO THE MEDICAL PROFESSION 
                            AND HEALTH CARE

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. DONNA MC CHRISTENSEN

                         of the virgin islands

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, May 23, 2000

  Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to Dr. Walter W. 
Shervington, a noted psychiatrist and a hero of health care, for 
dedicating his life to the needs of both the communities in which he 
lived and worked and the Nation.
  Dr. Shervington received his undergraduate degree from the University 
of Pennsylvania and his medical degree from the University of Maryland 
School of Medicine. His distinctive medical career involved active 
participation in numerous professional associations, which included the 
Black Psychiatrists of America, the National Association of State 
Mental Health Program Directors, the American Psychiatric Association 
and the American College of Psychiatrists. In February of this year, he 
was appointed to the Board of Directors of a new U.S. Olympic 
Committee, with oversight of drug screening for U.S. athletes 
participating in the Olympics.
  In August of 1999 he was sworn into office as the 99th President of 
the National Medical Association (NMA). The NMA is a professional, 
scientific and educational organization that represents the interests 
of more than Twenty Five Thousand (25,000) African American physicians 
and the patients that they serve. It is an organization that is 
dedicated to establishing parity in medicine and the elimination of 
health disparities.
  Dr. Shervington's three decade tenure with the NMA is a legacy of 
service, dedicated commitment, accomplishment and reflects the multiple 
and diverse positions that he held. He served as Chairman of the 
Section on Psychiatry and Behavioral Science; Delegate, Secretary, Vice 
Speaker and Speaker of the House of Delegates; Chairman of the Board, 
Vice President and President-Elect, before being sworn into office as 
President during the Association's 104th Annual Convention and 
Scientific Assembly.
  His term as President brought national attention to the negative 
impact of Managed Care on African Americans, issues of parity and the 
access of African American patients to HIV/AIDS treatment. His 
expertise in the field of psychiatry enabled him to write and lecture 
extensively on mental health and the impact of HIV/AIDS on the African 
American community. He served as principal investigator and co-
principal investigator on several HIV/AIDS projects and participated in 
the New Orleans Regional AIDS Planning Council, while being a member of 
the National AIDS Advisory Committee of the U.S. Department of Health 
and Human Services.
  Until his death he served as Chief Executive Officer of the New 
Orleans Adolescent Hospital, a psychiatric hospital for children and 
adolescents serving the Greater New Orleans area. He formerly served as 
Medical Regional Director for the Office of Mental Health in the 
Louisiana Department of health and Hospitals. In 1992 he was appointed 
Assistant Secretary, Office of Mental Health, by Governor Edwin Edwards 
of Louisiana and was also an Associate Professor of Psychiatry at 
Louisiana State University School of Medicine. His death on April 15, 
2000, ended the illustrious performance of an individual's 
contributions to various communities and the field of medicine.
  On behalf of the Congress of the United States of America, I salute 
Dr. Walter W. Shervington for his dedicated service to his country, his 
profession and especially the African American community. I thank his 
wife Denise and daughters Shanga and Iman for sharing him with us.

                          ____________________