[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 149 (Thursday, December 1, 1994)]
[Senate]
[Page S]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: December 1, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
           TRIBUTE TO EMERGENCY NURSES AND BARBARA FASSBINDER

 Mr. HARKIN. Mr. President, I rise today to recognize the work 
and dedication of emergency nurses in our country. Emergency nurses 
deliver the highest quality of care in times of crisis and distress. 
They respond quickly to situations in which every second is vital to 
the welfare of their patients. The Emergency Nurses Association 
estimates that over 70,000 emergency nurses work in the United States 
and deliver care in trauma centers, health clinics, ambulatory care 
centers as well as rural and urban hospitals. Throughout our Nation's 
history, nurses including emergency nurses, have been at the core of 
our health care system, providing high quality and cost-effective care.
  Mr. President, I want to take this opportunity to reflect upon the 
life and work of a very special emergency nurse from Iowa who worked 
courageously to prevent the spread of AIDS. In 1986, while treating a 
emergency room patient, Barbara Fassbinder became infected with the HIV 
virus. Barbara responded to her personal crises by working to raise 
AIDS awareness and educating all of us. She focused not on her own 
problems but on how to help others. She worked to prevent others from 
being infected and sought to help those already living with AIDS. She 
explained, ``If this can happen to me, it can happen to anybody. If 
what I'm doing prevents it from happening to just one other health care 
worker, then it means a lot to me.'' Because of the work and dedication 
of Barbara Fassbinder and other advocates, precautions are now taken to 
help protect health care professionals. Preventive measures, such as 
the use of gloves and masks, are widely used to protect providers and 
patients from infection.
  Barbara Fassbinder reflected upon her role in the fight against AIDS 
and remarked, ``Think of it this way. You're traveling down a mountain 
road. You see a guard rail. How many people had to go over the edge 
before they put a guard rail up? We were a few of those people who had 
to go over the rail.'' Barbara is greatly missed by not only her 
colleagues, friends and family in Iowa, but by all those who are 
working to end the spread of AIDS. I had the pleasure of meeting with 
Barbara on a number of occasions and she was a valuable resource for me 
as well as my staff. She was a remarkable woman. I cannot begin to 
imagine the number of lives which have been touched and will continue 
to be touched by Barbara and her work. I can only express my deepest 
gratitude.
  Emergency nurses, like Barbara Fassbinder, have improved the quality 
of medical care in our country. It must be clear that their dedication 
is not taken for granted. For this reason, I would like to extend much 
deserved recognition and appreciation to the many emergency nurses who 
serve our country.

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