[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 51 (Friday, April 19, 1996)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E584-E585]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       THANK YOU, VIRGINIA CARTER

                                 ______


                          HON. JAMES A. BARCIA

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, April 18, 1996

  Mr. BARCIA. Mr. Speaker, dedicated individuals who are willing to put 
the interests of those in their community ahead of their own comforts 
are people we should admire. The

[[Page E585]]

people of Sanilac County within my congressional district have been 
blessed with such an individual, Mrs. Virginia Carter, who is retiring 
after 20 years as a member of the Sanilac County Mental Health Board's 
Recipient Rights Advisory Committee.
  People who have benefited from the excellent care provided by Sanilac 
County Mental Health Services have most assuredly benefitted from 
programs either pioneered by Virginia Carter--supported employment, for 
example--or thriving because of her devotion to maintaining these 
important programs.
  Not only has Virginia Carter served for 20 years on the recipient 
rights committee, she has been elected chairperson for 18 of those 
years, a real testimony to the fact that she is held in high esteem by 
her colleagues on the committee.
  Mental health care can be a particularly trying field. Most people 
have a more difficult time dealing with the identification and 
treatment of mental health problems. Signs are not as easily identified 
as is a cold, nor is treatment as easy as a prescription for several 
days. Those who deal with the needs for mental health services must be 
patient, understanding, and resilient. They also need to have the 
support of understanding people like Virginia Carter who knows the 
meaning of pursuing quality care.
  It has been my privilege and pleasure to know many fine, dedicated 
people who live in Sanilac County. It is a particular pleasure to join 
with so many of them who will be honoring her at a special retirement 
event this Friday evening.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge you and all of our colleagues to join me in 
wishing her the very best.

                          ____________________