[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 27 (Monday, February 22, 1999)]
[Senate]
[Page S1740]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  SISTER JANE: A CHAMPION FOR THE POOR

 Mr. LAUTENBERG. Mr. President, I rise today to recognize the 
work of an extraordinary woman from the state of New Jersey, Sister 
Jane Frances Brady.
  Sister Jane, as she is widely known, has been a tireless advocate on 
behalf of the poor and uninsured. She has done this most visibly 
through her 26-year tenure as both president and chief executive 
officer of St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center in Paterson, New 
Jersey.
  Mr. President, as many of my colleagues know, Paterson is my home 
town and I am privileged to be able to call Sister Jane a good and 
longtime friend. Sister Jane has just recently stepped down from her 
position as president, and will leave her post as CEO of St. Joseph's 
by the summer. I know that she will be sorely missed there.
  But Sister Jane is not leaving health care altogether. She will be 
the new executive vice president of Via Caritas Health System in 
Parsippany.
  The combination of Sister Jane's tough administrative style and 
endless compassion has enhanced St. Joseph's facilities and reputation 
immensely. During her time there, the hospital has excelled in 
providing care for people living with HIV, newborns, bone marrow 
transplant candidates, patients needing open-heart surgery and trauma 
victims.
  Mr. President, one of the most important things that Sister Jane has 
done through her work at St. Joseph's is to care for poor children. A 
huge part of fighting that battle is waging a campaign to provide 
health insurance coverage for those children. I would like to share 
with my colleagues a recent editorial in the Bergen Record about Sister 
Jane, and her fearless courage to fight for the right of the urban poor 
population to have access to adequate health care.
  Mr. President, I congratulate Sister Jane on all her hard work at St. 
Joseph's, and wish her well in her new position at Via Caritas.
  Mr. President, I ask that a copy of the article be printed in the 
Record.
  The article follows:

                [From the Bergen Record, Jan. 12, 1999]

                         Sister Jane Steps Down

       An estimated 290,000 children in New Jersey go without 
     medical insurance. So last year, when the Whitman 
     administration withdrew some funding for a health-care 
     program for uninsured children because of lower-than-expected 
     enrollment, Sister Jane Frances Brady, president and chief 
     executive officer of St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center 
     in Paterson, was furious.
       With the help of St. Joseph's, Passaic County alone had 
     registered more than 1,400 children--nearly one-fifth of the 
     statewide enrollment up until that point. ``If we did that, 
     why can't the state do as much?'' Sister Jane asked.
       Stung by criticism from Sister Jane and others, the state 
     initiated a massive advertising campaign to sign up uninsured 
     children. It included mass mailings, advertisements, and a 
     radio spot by Governor Whitman.
       Sister Jane has always expected others to work as hard for 
     the poor as she does, and that applied to state officials as 
     well as St. Joseph's employees. In addition to championing 
     the urban poor during her 26 years at St. Joseph's, Sister 
     Jane has transformed the hospital into a regional health-care 
     hub that attracts patients statewide for services such as 
     high-risk births and open heart surgery.
       Earlier this month, Sister Jane stepped down as president. 
     Patrick Wardell, the hospital's new executive vice president, 
     will run the hospital on a day-to-day basis, but the 63-year-
     old nun will continue as CEO until July. At that point, she 
     will assume full-time her role as executive vice president of 
     Via Caritas Health System in Parsippany. Via Caritas is a 
     Catholic health-care system--formed in 1997--that has St. 
     Joseph's as its largest hospital member.
       Sister Jane set a fine example for dedication and 
     leadership at St. Joseph's. Prior to suffering a small stroke 
     in 1997, she had never taken a sick day. And under her 
     leadership St. Joseph's became one of the most financially 
     sound hospitals in the state. Although she will remain a 
     tireless voice for compassion for the less fortunate, her 
     day-to-day involvement in the medical care of the poor in 
     Paterson will be missed.

                          ____________________