[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 62 (Wednesday, May 18, 1994)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: May 18, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
 BAYFRONT WOMEN'S AND CHILDREN'S HEALTH CENTER PROVIDING VITAL PRIMARY 
                             CARE SERVICES

                                 ______


                          HON. C.W. BILL YOUNG

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, May 17, 1994

  Mr. YOUNG of Florida. Mr. Speaker, one of the most critical issues 
facing our Nation is health care and the right and need of every 
American to have access to quality health care. My colleagues and I in 
the U.S. Congress, are currently engaged in a major debate to determine 
the best way to ensure that all families have some form of health care 
coverage. It is a difficult task which will affect every one of our 
Nation's household's.
  There are many different opinions and approaches to achieve this 
goal. Yet there is widespread agreement that whatever health care plan 
Congress considers should place a high priority on primary medical 
care, including preventive measures and health education.
  The Bayfront Women's and Children's Health Center in Pinellas Park, 
FL, which I had the privilege to help dedicate, is an example of how a 
creative partnership can be established between a hospital and 
neighborhood health clinic to serve the community's need for primary 
care. This new health center at 7955 66th Street in Pinellas Park, is 
an innovative collaboration of Community Health Centers of Pinellas and 
Bayfront Medical Center, two health care facilities with a long history 
of working together for the good of our community.
  The need for more prenatal and obstetrical care in an underserved 
area of Pinellas County caught the attention of officials at both 
Bayfront and Community Health Centers. Statistics showed that a large 
number of women living in this area in mid-Pinellas County were 
receiving late prenatal care or none at all, a contributing factor to 
low birth weight and premature babies and a factor that had the 
potential for skyrocketing health care costs.
  Bayfront Medical Center, an acute care community hospital that 
provided more than $28 million in charity care to the community in 
1993, and Community Health Centers of Pinellas, a network of 
neighborhood-based health clinics, saw an opportunity to combine their 
expertise and make a difference in people's lives. The two should be 
commended for seeing a health care challenge and responding without the 
need for tax dollar support.
  Now 1 year old, the center continues to provide comprehensive and 
affordable care to women and children in a convenient neighborhood 
location. Its philosophy of accepting patients regardless of their 
ability to pay mirrors the missions of the hospital and Community 
Health Centers and should be emulated by other communities throughout 
our Nation.
  While Sue Lane, the center's manager, tells me the demand for 
obstetrical and pediatric care has not lessened since the day the 
center opened its doors, the real difference the program makes is in 
encouraging and facilitating regular medical care and preventative 
screenings for women of all ages. The women who are receiving these 
important services are the women who were falling through the cracks 
before and not receiving the proper care. The center's staff has found 
that many of these women were taking care of their children, they were 
taking care of their husbands, but they often neglected themselves. Now 
we are taking care of them and many other Pinellas County women.
  The Bayfront Women's and Children's Health Center is served by a 
tremendously dedicated and compassionate staff dedicated to their 
cause. It is a program that makes a difference in people's lives every 
day.
  Mr. Speaker, as a member of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on 
Health and Human Services, I have focused much of my work in Congress 
on improving the quality and accessibility of medical care for 
Americans of all ages. In particular though, I have devoted much of my 
time to programs that emphasize the need for prenatal and pediatric 
care. This type of primary medical care, which relies on preventative 
measures and health education, ensures that children are given a strong 
start which we hope translates into long and healthy lives with bright 
and successful futures.

                          ____________________