Administrative Information

Access Restrictions

There are no restrictions.

Use Restrictions

There are no restrictions.

Preferred Citation

Virginia Secretary of Health and Human Resources, Correspondence and Subject Files, 1998-2001. Accession 38940, State Government Records Collection, The Library of Virginia, Richmond, Virginia.

Acquisition Information

Transferred from the Secretary of Health and Human Resources, 11 January 2002

Historical Information

The secretariat responsible for human services, health and welfare has gone through several reorganizations. In 1972, the General Assembly passed an act establishing the Secretary of Human Affairs. This office was responsible for management and direction of health and human services provided by the state for the citizens of the commonwealth. In 1976, the secretariat's name changed to the Secretary of Human Resources. With reorganization of state government, the secretariat's name changed again to the Secretary of Health and Human Resources in 1988. The secretary has authority over the following agencies or councils: Dept. for the Rights of Virginians with Disabilities; Dept. for the Aging; State Dept. of Health; Dept. of Health Professionals; Dept. of Medical Assistance Services; Virginia Health Services Cost Review Council; Dept. of Mental Health, Mental Retardation and Substance Abuse Services; Dept. of Rehabilitation Services; Dept. of Social Services; Governors Employment and Training Dept.; Dept. for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing; Virginia Council on Child Care & Early Childhood Programs. The Secretary also serves on several advisory councils, committees, boards, and interstate compacts.

As Secretary of Health and Human Resources for the Commonwealth of Virginia from 1998-2002, Claude A. Allen led 13 agencies and 15,000 employees. He led Governor Gilmore's initiative for Virginia's new Patients Bill of Rights passed in 1999, allowing patient appeals for adverse coverage decisions made by health plans, and direct access to physician specialists. Allen also spearheaded Virginia's welfare reform initiative and provided leadership to overhaul the state's mental health institutions and community services. Additionally, he was responsible for implementing the Governor's private health insurance program for children and families, offering lower-cost coverage options to thousands of uninsured Virginians. Louis F. Rossiter, Deputy Secretary for Operations, became Secretary after Allen was confirmed by the Senate as the Deputy Secretary for the Department of Health and Human Services on May 26, 2001. Rossiter had been on the faculty in the Department of Health Administration, Virginia Commonwealth University for 18 years.

Under Governor Gilmore, Jeffrey L. Geller, M.D., M.P.H., was an expert witness for the Commonwealth of Virginia. He is an national expert on state psychiatric facilities, community hospitals, and the community service needs of the severly and persistently mentally ill. He is currently a member of the faculty at the Department of Psychiatry, University of Massachusetts Medical School. He has an extensive background in publicly funded mental health services and is considered to be an expert in understanding the treatment requirements implied by the Constitutional Rights of Institutionalized Persons Act. Dr. Geller's consultation to the Department involved extensive patient and staff interviews and examination of the state's mental health facilities from 1997 to 1998.

Scope and Content Information

This collection is comprised of the Secretary of Health and Human Resources, Claude A. Allen's, correspondence and subject files, 1998-2001, under Governor James S. Gilmore. Also included are the files of Louis F. Rossiter, Deputy Secretary, who became Secretary after Allen was confirmed by the Senate as the Deputy Secretary for the Department of Health and Human Services on May 26, 2001. The correspondence contains letters and e-mail from constituents along with people summaries and responses. Subjects covered include child support, state mental hospitals, nursing homes, domestic violence, Virginia Earned Income Tax Credit and many others. The agency correspondence includes the Department of Mental Health, Mental Retardation and Substance Abuse Services, the Geller Report, agency reports, strategic plans, and Office of the Secretary correspondence. The appointment calendars were notebooks filled with calendar pages and invitations and the legislative files contain enrolled bill reviews.

Organization

The collection is arranged into four (4) series: Constituent Correspondence, 1998-2001, Agency Correspondence, 1998-2001, Appointment Calendars, 1998-2001 and Legislative Files, 1998-2001. Each series is described in the box and folder listing.