[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 134 (Wednesday, October 6, 1999)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2038]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   HONORING THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE WOOD RIVER TOWNSHIP HOSPITAL

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. JERRY F. COSTELLO

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, October 5, 1999

  Mr. COSTELLO. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor of the 50th 
Anniversary of the Wood River Township Hospital.
  As we near the end of the millennium, I ask my colleagues to join me 
in celebrating the history of the small towns and cities which have 
made a commitment to better health care in their own communities. This 
past summer my district celebrated the 50th anniversary of Wood River 
Township Hospital, with reflection on its vital role in our region.
  The Wood River Township Hospital opened its doors to the public on 
August 1, 1949 with great fanfare. A referendum to build a public 
hospital had passed three years earlier in a landslide margin of 4,049 
votes for to just 270 against. Once passed, plans for the community 
hospital quickly commenced with the architectural designs of Jamieson & 
Spearl, built in a year by Brunson Construction Co.
  The town's enthusiasm for their new hospital was enhanced by the 
respect accorded to the patients of wood river township Hospital. The 
hospital staff today still proudly recall their first doctor, Harry S. 
Mendelsohn, M.D., first patient, Anna Westbrook, and first baby, 
Randall Charles Harmon. Today, more than 14,000 babies have been born 
there.
  Remarkably, the Wood River Township Hospital, is well known 
throughout the state of Illinois for being the site of other 
significant ``firsts'' in the world of health care. It was the first 
hospital in the state of Illinois to be built under a 1945 state law, 
which authorized townships to levy taxes for the construction, 
operation and maintenance of hospitals. Additionally, it was the first 
hospital in Illinois to give chiropractic physicians privileges, as 
well as the first to have paramedic-staffed ambulances.
  Every community is marked by the institutions that serve them, and 
Wood River is no different. The Wood River Township Hospital's devotion 
to patients and commitment to community allows us to see the town as a 
leader in progressive ideas built on a foundation of mutual respect.
  As the 20th Century ends and the beginning of the new millennium 
approaches, Wood River Township Hospital reminds us of our nation's 
heritage. As they did, 50 years ago, Wood River officials plan to bury 
a time capsule to honor the community's values and achievements. In 
this they will show that while the advances in technology made each day 
continue to fortify our nation's capabilities, it is the principal of 
caring in which our future generations may find inspiration.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing Wood River 
Township Hospital in commemoration of its 50th Anniversary.

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