[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 20 (Wednesday, March 4, 1998)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E285-E286]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


       TRIBUTE TO THE QUARTER BACKERS OF THE SOUTHAMPTON HOSPITAL

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. MICHAEL P. FORBES

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, March 4, 1998

  Mr. FORBES. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to the members 
of the Quarter Backers Club of Southampton Hospital, who for 20 years 
have poured their hearts and valuable time into helping the hospital 
acquire the most technologically advanced, life saving medical 
equipment and services for the East End, Long Island community.
  As a lifelong resident of the Long Island Town of Southampton, I am 
very proud to count the Quarter Backers as my personal friends and 
neighbors, men and women whose commitment to our home town knows no 
bounds. Motivated solely by the selfless desire to help Southampton 
Hospital provide the best medical care available, the Quarter Backers 
have raised and donated more than $100,000 annually for the purchase of 
the best diagnostic, therapeutic and emergency medical equipment in the 
industry. Their labors have produced the greatest fruit imaginable, for 
they have saved the lives and eased the suffering of countless numbers 
of their neighbors.
  The brainchild of John Grattan, a member of the Hospital's Board of 
Directors who came up with the idea while he was a patient at the 
hospital, the group was christened the Quarter Backers because members 
offer quarterly contributions to Southampton Hospital. With the help of 
Richard J. Micallef, the current chairman of the Quarter Backers 
Steering Committee and a member from the beginning, John Grattan 
organized the many East End business men and women, community leaders 
and others who were committed to supporting the hospital. Born at 
Southampton Hospital 21 years ago, the Quarter Backers Club has grown 
into one of the most vital and active members of the hospital family.
  Today, the Quarter Backers number more than 200, men and women from 
every walk of life who have helped Southampton Hospital adjust to rapid 
advancements in medical technology. They have raised funds to acquire 
cardiac diagnostic machines, expand the orthopedic sports medicine 
facilities and supply mammography equipment that formed Southampton 
Hospital's Breast Health Center. Collectively, the Quarter Backers are 
as integral to Southampton Hospital as the 120 staff physicians, sixty 
consulting doctors, nurses and other staff members in building a 
healthier East End.
  More than just fundraisers, the Quarter Backers are the hospital's 
ambassadors to the East End, reaching out to their neighbors, business 
groups, local media and schools, building and cementing relationships 
with the community. Their devotion to Southampton Hospital and their 
commitment to saving lives and improving community health is all that 
motivates the members of the Quarter Backers. This is the reason why 
they have flourished and grown during two decades of service.

[[Page E286]]

  That is why, Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues in the U.S. House of 
Representatives to join in me in proudly saluting the Southampton 
Hospital Quarter Backers as the group enters its 21st year of proud 
service to the hospital and the East End of Long Island.

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