[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 12]
[Senate]
[Page 17016]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                    TRIBUTE TO DR. DONALD WILLIAMSON

 Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. President, it is with great pleasure and the 
highest regard that I speak on the accomplishments of my valued 
constituent and friend, Dr. Donald Williamson. On October 31, 2015, Dr. 
Williamson concluded 23 years as Alabama's State health officer and 29 
years of service in the Department of Public Health.
  Dr. Williamson has served the public health community for more than 
30 years, first in his home State of Mississippi and in Alabama since 
1986. He began his career in Alabama as the director of the Division of 
Disease Control from 1986 to 1988. He then served as the director of 
the Bureau of Preventative Health Services from 1988 to 1992, when he 
was appointed as the State health officer and director of the Alabama 
Department of Public Health.
  Dr. Williamson received his medical degree, cum laude, from the 
University of Mississippi School of Medicine and completed a residency 
in internal medicine at the University of Virginia Hospital.
  His devotion to health and public service has been recognized on 
numerous occasions. He received the 2011 Nathan Davis Award from the 
AMA for outstanding public service by a career public servant at the 
State level; the 2009 Wallace Alexander Clyde Award from Children's 
Hospital; the 2000 Arthur T. McCormack Award from the Association of 
State and Territorial Health Officials for dedication and excellence in 
public health; the 1999 Theodore R. Ervin Award from the Public Health 
Foundation; and the 1999 Child Health Advocate Award from the American 
Academy of Pediatrics. He also was the recipient of the 1997 D.G. Gill 
Award from the Alabama Public Health Association for outstanding 
contribution to public health in Alabama and the 1998 Internist of the 
Year Award from the Alabama Society of Internal Medicine. In addition, 
he has held leadership roles in several national and State 
organizations, including the Association of State and Territorial 
Health Officials.
  For the last 3 years, Dr. Williamson has held two of the largest jobs 
in State government, serving both as health officer and chairman of the 
Alabama Medicaid Transition Taskforce. Governor Robert Bentley 
appointed Dr. Williamson to serve as chairman of the transition 
taskforce at a time when the Medicaid Program was on the brink of 
failing.
  During his tenure, All Kids, Alabama's public health insurance for 
children, was recognized nationally for its success in reducing the 
number of uninsured children. As the chairman of the Medicaid 
transition taskforce, he helped rescue the Alabama Medicaid Agency and 
restructured the Medicaid Program. Under his direction, the Medicaid 
Program will be transformed into Regional Care Organizations and 
Patient Care Networks. This new structure represents a shift from 
treating an illness or injury to focusing on overall health and well-
being and will lead to improved health outcomes for many Alabamians.
  Dr. Williamson has demonstrated the ability to find solutions for 
seemingly insurmountable challenges and has been a calm, strong voice 
of reason and common sense in the most difficult of times. Throughout 
his career, he continued to find new ways of making Medicaid work for 
its patients and the physicians who treat them.
  However, it is good to note that this is not the end of Dr. 
Williamson's healthcare service. He will become the CEO and president 
of the Alabama Hospital Association in November. His tremendous 
knowledge of health care will continue to be a valuable resource to 
Alabama and to this critically important organization.
  I have known this able, energetic leader for many years. I share the 
views of the great majority of health professionals that he is a 
treasure for Alabama and the Nation. No one was surprised and all were 
pleased when Governor Bentley asked him to take over as chairman of the 
Medicaid transition taskforce at a truly critical time. His reputation 
throughout the State, the awards he has received, and the sustained 
effort he has given for the betterment of the health of all Alabamians, 
especially the poor, truly sets him apart and makes him worthy of the 
highest accolades.
  In light of these and all of his many accomplishments, I want to 
congratulate him on his outstanding career and to wish him the very 
best in his next important and challenging endeavor.

                          ____________________