Charles Castille, a longtime attorney with the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals who spent the last 12 years as undersecretary of DHH, joined Adams and Reese in 2010 as Special Counsel in the Baton Rouge office.
Charles, who has a total of 35 years in public service, was responsible for planning, directing and coordinating all activities for the DHH Office of Management and Finance, including Medicaid, planning and budget, human resources training and development, fiscal information, information technology, engineering and architectural services, contracts and procurement support, materials management, Health Education Authority of Louisiana, and safety and security.
In 1975, Charles began his 13-year career with the Department of Health and Human Resources, the predecessor agency of DHH. As a staff attorney in the legal division he served as section chief, deputy general counsel and general counsel. When DHH was created in 1988, he served as General Counsel and chief legal advisor to agency executive management. In 1994, he became deputy secretary of DHH. His other career stops in public service included Chief Executive Officer and Chief Operating Officer of the Louisiana Health Care Authority from 1991 to 1993, serving as interim CEO during the transfer of the charity hospital system from the Department of Health and Hospitals to the Louisiana Health Care Authority.
During his tenure with DHH, Charles' major accomplishments included:
- Participation in development of agreement to fund transfer and operation of hospital services and medical education activities from Earl K. Long Hospital (LSU) to Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center in Baton Rouge.
- Part of a team that successfully negotiated settlement of large disallowances ($500 million) levied by United States Department of Health and Human Services against the State of Louisiana.
- Managed implementation of prior certification and length of stay review of psychiatric hospitalizations which saved the Medicaid program $100 million annually, and managed implementation of Intergovernmental Transfer (IGT) program which has generated $900 million for deposit in Medicaid Trust Fund for the Elderly.
- Participation in successful implementation of Medicaid outreach and LaCHIP program that provided insurance coverage to more than 300,000 additional children.
In the community, he is a member of the Louisiana State Bar Association. He is on the Board of Trustees for Louisiana State Employees Retirement System and serves as the board's chairman in 2010. He completed the program for advanced trustee studies at Harvard Law School in July 2010.
His professional honors include the Charles E. Dunbar Jr. Career Service Award; the Distinguished Service Award from Rural Hospital Coalition; and service commendation from both the Louisiana House of Representatives and the Louisiana Senate.
In his spare time, Charles enjoys reading, especially History, and among the historic figures he most admires is Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower for his leadership as well as his diplomatic skills during World War II.
Charles has been married to Gail Stelly Castille since 1975, and they have two grown children: David and Adrienne.
Presentations and Seminars
- Selected Legal Issues Involving State and Federal Health Programs Legislative Legal Seminar (CLE) 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003. 2004, 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009 Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
- Presentations to National Association of State Human Services Finance Officers Annual Conferences in 2001 Salt Lake City, Utah; 2002 Chicago, Illinois; 2006 Nashville, Tennessee; and 2007 Sparks, Nevada.
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