[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 54 (Tuesday, May 5, 1998)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E767]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     THE ST. COLUMBA HEALTH CENTER

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. ROBERT MENENDEZ

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                          Tuesday, May 5, 1998

  Mr. MENENDEZ. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to a project 
in my home state of New Jersey that deserves recognition: the St. 
Columba Health Center in Newark.
  A pressing problem in our nation's cities is the lack of affordable, 
accessible health care to the children of working families. Thanks to a 
quarter of a million dollar grant by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation 
of Princeton, the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey 
School of Nursing has expanded its Health Center at the St. Columba 
Neighborhood Club and School.
  The St. Columba Health Center serves the needs of the local Hispanic 
community by acting as a triage that effectively screens and treats 
less serious injuries and ailments, thus reducing reliance on expensive 
hospital services. A nurse practitioner provides on-site primary care 
through a collaborative practice agreement with UMDNJ pediatricians. 
The local University Hospital provides clinical and administrative 
support, as well as transportation of local patients who need complex 
treatments. By advancing primary pediatric and adolescent care at the 
St. Columba Health Center, the program hopes to expand the definition 
of urban child health care and serve as a model for future programs.
  Education plays a key role at the health Center, as its members reach 
out into the school and community with needed information on the 
treatment and prevention of many health conditions. Examples include 
asthma, immunizations and domestic violence.
  One major education component is the ``Baby Think it Over Program,`` 
designed to combat high teenage pregnancy rates. For one week, 
participating seventh- and eighth-grade girls and boys must care for a 
computerized baby that is programmed to cry randomly, like a real baby. 
Only the student is allowed to provide around-the-clock care for the 
doll, which accompanies them at home, school, and even the mall.
  During a recent visit, a past graduate of the program, Maria Rivera, 
told me how she received $125 in play money--about the amount of a 
welfare check--and asked to develop a weekly budget for the baby's 
medical check-ups and to purchase diapers, formula, clothing, and other 
baby needs. In simulating these parental responsibilities, the purpose 
is to make the teens keenly aware of the consequences of unwanted 
pregnancies. And it works. As a result of this experience, Maria 
expressed a more realistic perspective on pregnancy and her intentions 
to delay having a baby until she is married.
  The overall expected outcomes of the expansion of the St. Columba 
Health Center include better child health care models; decreased school 
absenteeism, emergency room and hospital admissions; and the reduction 
of teen pregnancies and STD rates, among many more.
  Thank you to the volunteers and employees of the St. Columba Health 
Center, Neighborhood Club and School and who make a daily difference in 
the surrounding community. I also commend the Robert Wood Johnson 
Foundation for providing the vital financial support to this program 
and others across the nation.

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