[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 138 (Thursday, September 7, 1995)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1720]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


      CONGRATULATIONS CARMEN L. TORRES FOR 25 YEARS OF EXCELLENCE

                                 ______

                               speech of

                        HON. ROBERT A. UNDERWOOD

                                of guam

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, September 6, 1995
  Mr. UNDERWOOD. Mr. Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to Carmen Lizama 
Torres, a Guam Department of Public Health and Social Services [DPH&SS] 
nurse practitioner who is retiring on September 29, 1995, after nearly 
a quarter of a century of dedicated, unselfish, and untiring service to 
the people of Guam.
  The seventh child in a sibship of 13, Mrs. Torres was born and raised 
in Saipan in the Northern Marianas Islands. Her career as a health care 
provider started on her home island when she began after completing a 
course in practical nursing at the Saipan Civilian Hospital and working 
there as a practical nurse. In the early sixties, she moved to Guam and 
settled in Malesso with her husband, Jose Torres.
  In 1970, Mrs. Torres enrolled in the University of Guam's School of 
Nursing, and, after graduating with an associate of arts degree in 
nursing, she began her public health nursing career when she was 
appointed a public health nurse and assigned to the public health 
clinics in Asan, Piti, Santa Rita, and Hagat as a staff nurse. After 4 
years in that capacity, she was appointed public health nurse 
supervisor of the Southern Region Health Center which serves the 
villages of Talofofo, Inalahan, Malesso, and Humatac.
  In 1979, the World Health Organization [WHO] awarded Mrs. Torres a 
fellowship to study obstetrics and gynecology as a women's health nurse 
practitioner student at Harbor-UCLA Hospital in Torrance, CA; she had 
the distinction of being the first Guam nurse to become nurse 
practitioner and is certified to practice that profession in California 
and Guam.
  After successfully completing the nurse practitioner course at 
Harbor-UCLA Hospital, Mrs. Torres returned to Guam and to public health 
where she became an invaluable addition to the women's health care 
clinics by providing vital clinical services including prenatal care, 
family planning, cancer screening, and management of sexually 
transmitted diseases in women. In addition to her duties as a nurse 
practitioner, Mrs. Torres was supervisor and manager of the Central 
Region Health Center Clinic for the past 2 years.
  An active member of American Nurses Association and the Guam Nurse 
Association [GNA], Mrs. Torres was named the Outstanding Employee of 
DPH&SS in 1981 and 1984. In 1994, she received the GNA Presidential 
Commendation Award for outstanding voluntary and dedicated service to 
the nursing profession and organization. She was also twice nominated 
for the GNA Nurse of the Year Award.
  Mrs. Torres still resides in Malesso with her husband of 34 years. 
The couple have two children and three grandchildern.


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