[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 103 (Tuesday, July 20, 1999)]
[House]
[Page H5987]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[[Page H5987]]
                 HIGHLIGHTING COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTERS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Davis) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay special 
tribute to community health centers operating in my district which have 
gone above and beyond just simply being providers of good care but who 
have also demonstrated a real understanding of the health needs of a 
community.
  Today there are more than 43 million Americans without health 
insurance. However, despite the staggering numbers of uninsured, a 
network of health centers in my district have continued to rise to the 
challenge and provide outstanding care to those uninsured.
  Under the tireless leadership of Bill Moorehead, board chairman, and 
Berneice Mills-Thomas, executive director, the Near North Health 
Service Corporation provides primary care to women, infants, school age 
children and their parents who live in medically underserved areas of 
the City of Chicago.
  In addition, Near North operates the Infant Mortality Reduction 
Initiative. This program seeks out high-risk families via a door-to-
door canvass of blighted neighborhoods and the Cabrini Green Housing 
Development. This program has been credited with reducing the infant 
mortality rate of the area from 26.6 per 1,000 live births to 12.8 per 
1,000 live births.
  Healthy Start, Store Smart Moms and Youth Pregnancy Prevention. This 
program teaches young mothers how to purchase nutritional meals for 
their children through mobile and satellite clinic programs.
  Project Match. This program matches former welfare recipients to real 
jobs, jobs that provide a real opportunity for families to become 
totally self-sufficient. Since its inception, Project Match has found 
jobs for over 800 people who would otherwise still be on public 
assistance.
  Near North Health Services Corporation's record of achievement 
through its service to the community, City of Chicago, and State of 
Illinois must be commended for its recent focus on male health.
  Another outstanding community health center operating in the City of 
Chicago is the Erie Family Health Center. Currently undergoing a change 
in leadership, this community health center is able to serve over 
17,000 patients per year in the West Town, Humboldt Park, and Logan 
Square neighborhoods.
  In addition to the excellent primary care services offered at all of 
the Erie Family sites, Erie Family also administers a wide array of 
social services to its communities, including the Erie Teen Health 
Center. This center serves the health needs of at-risk adolescents.
  The Erie Integrated Care Program. This is the only bilingual primary 
care provider serving HIV and HIV/AIDS-infected patients in the City of 
Chicago.
  The Pediatric Care Program in collaboration with the Illinois 
Department of Public Health. This program services children zero to 21 
whose income falls below 180 percent of the Federal poverty line. This 
program serves those children and young adults who would not otherwise 
qualify for Medicaid.
  Near North and Erie Family represents a small fraction of the good 
Chicago's community health centers are doing for the city. Daniel Hale 
Williams Health Center, Mercy Diagnostic, Mount Sinai Family Health 
Centers, Alivio Medical Center, Mile Square Health Center.
  The Sinai Family Health Centers, under the leadership of Michael 
Savage and many other community health centers in the city and in 
downstate Illinois provide over 500,000 patients per year with quality 
cost-effective primary care services. These providers are making a 
significant difference, and I urge my colleagues to join with me in 
commending the work of community health centers and to make sure that 
as we go through the appropriation of monies for the next year that 
community health centers be high on our list of priorities.

                          ____________________