[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 38 (Wednesday, March 10, 1999)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E384]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  HONORING THE JAMES H. QUILLEN COLLEGE OF MEDICINE AT EAST TENNESSEE 
       STATE UNIVERSITY IN COMMEMORATION OF ITS 25TH ANNIVERSARY

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                        HON. WILLIAM L. JENKINS

                              of tennessee

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, March 10, 1999

  Mr. JENKINS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the James H. Quillen 
College of Medicine at East Tennessee State University located in the 
First District of Tennessee. This month, the Quillen College of 
Medicine celebrates its 25th anniversary.
  The College of Medicine at East Tennessee State University was 
established in March of 1974 by the Tennessee General Assembly. It was 
formally dedicated as the James H. Quillen College of Medicine in honor 
of the tireless efforts of my predecessor and friend, Congressman James 
H. (Jimmy) Quillen, who served the First District with distinction for 
34 years. Congressman Quillen recognized the severe shortage of primary 
care physicians in the 1970's, especially in many of the rural areas in 
East Tennessee, and was instrumental in the efforts to establish this 
school.
  In August of 1978, the first class of 24 students enrolled at the 
College of Medicine. Since their graduation in 1982, the college has 
awarded more than 850 Medical Doctor degrees, including a significant 
number of resident physicians, fellows, and biomedical students. A 
substantial number of these students are serving the health care 
industry today as primary care physicians, filling many of the 
shortages which led to the creation of the institution in 1974.
  The Quillen College of Medicine remains focused today on primary care 
and has earned notes of recognition by several national organizations 
and publications for the institution's successful rural medicine 
programs and its efforts to train more primary care physicians.
  One of the more innovative approaches utilized by the Quillen College 
of Medicine is its utilization of the region's hospitals. Rather than 
having one teaching hospital, East Tennessee State University has 
affiliated itself with nine area hospitals, providing its students with 
access to more than 3,000 beds in the areas and training in every area 
of primary and tertiary care medicine. Furthermore, the immediate 
success of the college in its primary care work led to the receipt of 
the largest grant in the university's history, $6 million in 1991 from 
the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. This financial support allowed the college 
to move into two additional rural communities in the First District, 
training over 80 students on site using a team approach in which the 
medical, nursing, and public and allied health students learn together.
  The ETSU Quillen College of Medicine continues to expand its scope 
while remaining focused to its original purpose of creating primary 
care physicians. All of the teaching and research facilities at the 
university and its affiliated hospitals are fully supported by modern 
classrooms, laboratories, and clinical facilities. New facilities are 
being built to serve the expanded demands of this popular school, and I 
am confident that the Quillen College of Medicine will continue to meet 
the growing needs of the health care industry in the next millennium.
  Mr. Speaker, I am proud of the great accomplishments of the James H. 
Quillen College of Medicine in its 25th year of existence. It has 
served the region and the country well, providing a wealth of trained, 
experienced doctors to serve our health care needs. Its presence has 
been a leading force in revolutionizing the health care industry in the 
Upper East Tennessee/Southwest Virginia region. There will be many 
great things to come from this fine institution, and it is my hope that 
my colleagues here in the Congress will join me in honoring the 
college's alumni, students, residents, fellows, faculty, staff, and 
others for their past and future contributions to improving health care 
in America.

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