[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 144 (Thursday, October 6, 1994)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: October 6, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
 CONFERENCE REPORT ON H.R. 4606, DEPARTMENT OF LABOR, HEALTH AND HUMAN 
 SERVICES, AND EDUCATION, AND RELATED AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 1995

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                               speech of

                            HON. JOHN LEWIS

                               of georgia

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, September 22, 1994

  Mr. LEWIS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I want to express my support for 
H.R. 4606, the Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education 
Appropriations bill for fiscal year 1995. I want to thank my colleagues 
for their good work on this bill.
  I especially want to express my support for language in the report 
that accompanies this legislation. The report refers to the extramural 
construction funds provided under the Center for Research Resources. 
The mission of the center is to support the research technologies and 
resources that are critical to maintaining and improving the health of 
all Americans. As part of achieving its mission, the center supports 
selected construction programs.
  One such project mentioned in the report is the National Center for 
Primary Care at the Morehouse School of Medicine in Atlanta. Since its 
founding, the Morehouse School of Medicine has dedicated itself to the 
primary health care needs of the American people, with a particular 
emphasis on minorities. As a result, the Morehouse School of Medicine 
leads the Nation in the percentage of graduates entering primary care. 
Regarding research, Morehouse School of Medicine has a compelling 
record. Although the school is less than 20 years old, its faculty has 
successfully competed for more research funding than one-third of all 
of the medical schools in the country.
  The National Center for Primary Care will be a national resource 
conducting, sponsoring, and participating in academic, clinical, and 
health services research. To achieve its mission, the center will 
accomplish the following goals:
  Increase significantly the number of primary care physicians.
  Create a national health and social policy center focused on 
identifying and analyzing the complex social, educational, 
psychological, behavioral, economic, and historical factors that 
contribute to current problems of poor health and inadequate access to 
quality health care.
  Augment outreach and community-based clinics with new communications 
technologies to allow for expanded research, health care and health 
policy development.
  Create linkages focused on medical education, health and social 
policy and basic and applied research supported by expanded onsite 
teleconferencing capabilities and computer support.
  I strongly believe that Morehouse School of Medicine is well suited 
to undertake this challenge. Under the leadership of its president, Dr. 
Louis Sullivan, Morehouse School of Medicine has an excellent program 
of basic and applied research with an increasingly emphasis on 
community-based research related to the environmental, economic and 
social factors affecting health status. Furthermore, the faculty at 
Morehouse School of Medicine understands the complexities and 
challenges involved in the provision of primary care services to 
individuals and families in low-income urban neighborhoods and rural 
communities. As a result, the School has built a long-standing and 
solid base of trust in many underserved communities.
  I want to thank Chairman Neal Smith for recognizing the contribution 
that the Morehouse School of Medicine has made in the area of primary 
health care. I also want to urge the Assistant Secretary for Health and 
the Director of the National Center for Research Resources to carefully 
review and consider the Morehouse School of Medicine's application for 
extramural construction funds for the National Center for Primary Care.

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