West Health Builds Government Affairs Team with Bipartisan Senate Leadership Staff Hires

WASHINGTON and SAN DIEGO, Sept. 17, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- West Health today announced the hiring of veteran Capitol Hill Leadership staffers with decades of experience in health policy and legislation to identify and drive policy solutions to lower the cost of health care.  West Health has also successfully recruited a leading Washington industry veteran in the stakeholder health care policy arena.  Joining Senior Vice President of Government Affairs Rodger Currie, these three will serve as Senior Directors of Government Affairs for the collective West Health initiative and its flagship organization, the West Health Institute.

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Dayle Cristinzio joins West Health with more than ten years of experience working for House and Senate Democratic Leadership, having served for six years as Legislative Director for U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV).  Previously, she worked for two years as Director of Appropriations for Senator Charles Schumer (D-NY), the third ranking Democrat in the Senate and chairman of the Senate Democratic Policy Committee.  Prior to her time in the Senate, Cristinzio served as a Senior Legislative Assistant for House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer (D-MD).

Judith Gheuens, J.D., joins West Health from the office of U.S. Senator Jon Kyl (R-AZ), the Senate Minority Whip and a senior member of the Senate Finance Committee, where she has served as his key Health Counsel.  Judith previously served as the Senior Manager of Policy for Amgen, Inc. in their Global Government Affairs division.

Valerie Volpe joins the team with more than 22 years of experience engaging and collaborating with stakeholders in support of policy and business goals.  She was most recently with Merck & Co. where she worked as Director of Stakeholder Engagement partnering with patient groups and other important voices across the spectrum of health care delivery.  In addition, Volpe spent ten years building the Ally Development team at the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA). 

"Health care costs are on an unsustainable trajectory of growth that threatens the future of our nation," said Nicholas J. Valeriani, chief executive of West Health. "Dayle and Judith's legislative skills and their extensive health care network in Washington D.C. bring valuable insight and expertise in our effort to identify beneficial legislative and regulatory changes to lower the cost of health care for all Americans.  Valerie has unmatched experience engaging stakeholders in the health care arena and she is uniquely positioned to create collaborations that are vital to the success of West Health."

"I'm excited to welcome these three exceptionally talented individuals to our team," said Rodger Currie, Senior Vice President of Government Affairs for West Health.  "Together, their collective expertise in health care policy and stakeholder collaboration in Washington, D.C. will advance our mission to lower the costs of health care."

About West Health
West Health is an independent, one-of-a-kind initiative whose mission is to lower health care costs by creating innovative, patient-centered solutions that deliver the right care at the right place at the right time. Solely funded by pioneering philanthropists Gary and Mary West, it consists of four entities: the West Health Institute, West Health Policy Center, West Health Investment Fund, and West Health Incubator.  For more information, find us at www.westhealth.org and follow us @westhealth.

SOURCE West Health