DGR Hires New Lobbyists

APA hired two additional lobbyists for its Department of Government Relations (DGR) last month. They are Maria H. Castillo as DGR's deputy director for federal affairs and Andrew M. Whitman, J.D., as deputy director for regulatory affairs.

Castillo will work to advance APA's legislative priorities in the U.S. House of Representatives. Whitman is charged with promoting APA's regulatory priorities in the executive branch, particularly within the Department of Health and Human Services and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

“Maria Castillo and Andy Whitman bring a wealth of government and health policy experience to their new roles,” said Nicholas M. Meyers, director of DGR.

Among current APA priorities are enacting the Mental Health Equitable Treatment Act to end discriminatory coverage of treatment of mental illness, preserving patient access to psychiatric treatment and medications in the Medicaid program, ensuring adequate mental illness research funding, protecting medical-record confidentiality, and safeguarding patients through the regulation of the practice of medicine and nonphysician scope of practice.

Castillo has seven years of experience on Capitol Hill, most recently as senior legislative assistant for Rep. Jerry Kleczka (D-Wis.), where she advised the congressman on health care issues. Whitman has practiced health care law for 10 years and was recently senior counsel in the Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Counsel to the Inspector General, where he worked with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and other government agencies. ▪