AHCA/NCAL mourns the loss of former President & CEO 

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WASHINGTON, DC

– After a long battle with cancer, former President & CEO of the American Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted Living (AHCA/NCAL), Dr. Paul Willging, passed away over the weekend.

“Paul was a resounding voice for long term care, paving the way for the future of the profession while spearheading a focus on quality care for our nation’s seniors,” said AHCA/NCAL President & CEO Governor Mark Parkinson. “Those of us at AHCA and in the profession take this time to remember the contributions of this dedicated advocate, as we send our thoughts and prayers to his family and friends.”

Dr. Willging dedicated more than 40 years of his life to the health care field, serving 16 of those years as President & CEO of AHCA/NCAL. He was also a past President and CEO of the Assisted Living Federation of America (ALFA) and Deputy Administrator of the Health Care Financing Administration (now the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services). Additionally, he worked at Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Greater New York and was Chairman of Howard County General Hospital, as well as Chairman of the Howard County Commission on Aging. 

Most recently, Dr. Willging was Senior Associate at Johns Hopkins University’s Bloomberg School of Public Health and Associate Director of the University’s Center on Aging and Health where his teaching and research focused on health care management with an emphasis on long term care. Dr. Willging also received a myriad of awards and accolades over his career, such as the Vesta Bowden Award for Outstanding Service to the Long Term Care Industry in 2000. 

He is survived by his wife and two daughters.

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The American Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted Living (NCAL) represent nearly 11,000 non-profit and proprietary facilities dedicated to continuous improvement in the delivery of professional and compassionate care provided daily by millions of caring employees to 1.5 million of our nation's frail, elderly and disabled citizens who live in nursing facilities, assisted living residences, subacute centers and homes for persons with mental retardation and developmental disabilities. For more information, please visitwww.ahca.org orwww.ncal.org

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