[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 122 (Tuesday, September 15, 1998)]
[Senate]
[Pages S10390-S10391]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           COMMEMORATION OF SEPTEMBER'S HEALTH-RELATED EVENTS

 Mr. GRAMS. Mr. President, I rise today to highlight National 
Caregivers Day.
  As such, I wanted to show my appreciation to those who work so hard 
to meet the needs of the mentally and physically disabled, the elderly, 
and the terminally ill. Our nation is blessed to have individuals 
motivated by a caring and giving attitude toward others.
  Indeed, there are roughly 1.6 million elderly and disabled people in 
our nation receiving care in one of approximately 16,800 facilities 
throughout the country and countless others providing in-home 
assistance. These thousands of individuals live each day loving, 
nurturing, and supporting those entrusted to their care and on behalf 
of the United States Senate, I want to say thank you.
  Mr. President, I would also like to recognize other health-care 
related commemorations in the month of September: National 
Rehabilitation Week, Mental Health Workers Week, National Vision 
Rehabilitation Day, and Deaf Awareness Week.

[[Page S10391]]

  National Rehabilitation Week, September 13-19, gives us an 
opportunity to commend the nearly 43 million people with disabilities 
in America who daily display their courage and determination. It also 
calls to our attention the unmet needs of our nation's disabled 
citizens.
  Mental Health Workers Week is set aside for us to thank those who 
have dedicated their talents to improving the mental health of our 
nation. Nearly half of all Americans between the ages of 15 and 54 
experience a psychological disorder during their lifetime. 
Psychiatrists, psychologists, licensed clinical social workers, and 
others are there every day to help those Americans who are experiencing 
problems pick up the pieces and move forward with their lives--truly 
important work.
  September 16 is National Vision Rehabilitation Day, which recognizes 
the tremendous lack of understanding we have of vision loss and the 
lack of availability of vision rehabilitation services. National Vision 
Rehabilitation Day gives us the chance to promote aggressive education 
and treatment for people with vision problems. As the baby boom 
generation moves into the retirement years, we need to begin learning 
how to deal with serious eye diseases like macular degeneration, which 
currently affects thousands of people and about which--when it comes to 
causes and treatment--we know very little.
  Finally, Mr. President, I would like to recognize Deaf Awareness Week 
and the opportunity it provides to recognize the deaf culture 
experienced by nearly one million Americans. Most people don't know 
that American sign language is the third most widely used language in 
America, and that Washington, D.C. is home to the only deaf university 
in the world, Gallaudet University. Deaf Awareness Week allows us to 
discover the significant contributions offered by individuals who 
happen to be deaf.

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