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Recognizing the contributions of Kevin E. Vaughan to the citizens of Philadelphia as he leaves City government to continue his career as Regional Director of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services for Region II, which includes the states of Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia and the District of Columbia.
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WHEREAS, Kevin E. Vaughan, a native of Newark, New Jersey, moved to Philadelphia to attend the University of Pennsylvania, where he graduated in 1977. He took further studies there are at the Fels School of Government; and
WHEREAS, From 1986 to 1992, Mr. Vaughan ably served the City Council of Philadelphia while employed as the Director of Legislation to City Councilman Angel Ortiz. Kevin E. Vaughan helped hearings on HIV/AIDS that led to the creation of the Philadelphia Health Department's AIDS Activities Coordinating Office and developed legislation that amended the Philadelphia Fair Practices Ordinance to include HIV as a class of Disability prior to the Federal ruling to do so; and
WHEREAS, Since 1992 Kevin Vaughan has served as the Executive Director of the Philadelphia Commission on Human Relations where he was charged with investigating complaints of discrimination, in housing, employment, and public accommodation, as well as working to bring neighborhoods together. During his tenure Kevin E. Vaughan's leadership helped elevate the public stature of the Human Relations Commission and made it a trusted civic institution in the region; and
WHEREAS, Working closely with community based organizations and law enforcement agencies at the federal, state and local levels of government, Kevin E. Vaughan convened and helped create an interagency task force to address issues of distrust, building a strong coalition to fight hate crimes and ethnic intimidation.
WHEREAS, Kevin E. Vaughan created innovative programs such as Focus Philadelphia, a youth-led video project of multiracial, multiethnic, straight, lesbian and gay teenagers. These videos are now used as educational tools to eliminate barriers between people and to help secure an intergenerational effort to address issues of diversity. Focus Philadelphia was the first program of the City of Philadelphia to be awarded the U.S. Conference of Mayor's City Livability Award.
WHEREAS, Under Kevin E. Vaughan's leadership, the Human Relations Commission made equality in the provision of health care one of its chief issues, holding hearings on health care providers who refused to treat pregnant women in drug treatment facilities. The hearings led to consent decrees mandating that service be provided. Additionally, the Commission did testing to ensure that nursing homes were making beds available to people living with AIDS.
WHEREAS, For the last fourteen years, Mr. Vaughan has served on the leadership of many non-profit community institutions including the Family Planning Council and Calcutta House, an AIDS hospice in Philadelphia serving indigent people.
WHEREAS, Kevin E. Vaughan has served the people of Philadelphia with distinction, exercising extraordinary leadership to realize our mutual goals that serve to promote racial and cultural diversity, and tolerance against all forms of discrimination; now therefore
RESOLVED, THAT THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA, Recognize the contributions Kevin E. Vaughan to the citizens of Philadelphia as he leaves City government to continue his career as Regional Director of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services for Region II.
FURTHER RESOLVED, That an Engrossed copy of this resolution be presented to Kevin E. Vaughan as a representation of the sincere sentiments of this legislative body.
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