[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 12 (Thursday, February 10, 2000)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E118]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 HONORING LOS ANGELES COUNTY UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA MEDICAL 
                                 CENTER

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. XAVIER BECERRA

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, February 10, 2000

  Mr. BECERRA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate the Los 
Angeles County University of Southern California Medical Center 
(LAC+USC) for its outstanding commitment to community service, as 
recognized by the Baxter Allegiance and the American Hospital 
Association. Only one institution each year is awarded the prestigious 
Foster G. McGraw prize for innovative health-care programs and 
expedited access to care. LAC+USC earned that recognition this year, an 
especially impressive achievement given that just a few years ago this 
hospital was on the brink of closure.
  The LAC+USC Healthcare Network has successfully indentified the 
unique needs of its surrounding population and found creative solutions 
to address those needs. For example, learning that childhood asthma 
represented the number one cause of school absenteeism in the Los 
Angeles Unified School District, LAC+USC's Healthcare Network formed a 
partnership with the school district and the Allergy and Asthma 
Foundation of America to establish a Mobile Asthma Clinic. The Mobile 
Asthma Clinic has since reduced absenteeism by more than 20 percent for 
children seen by the clinic, nearly 65 percent of the children served 
has gained control of their asthma, and related emergency room use has 
declined by 18 percent. This program is just one of many innovative 
approaches the LAC+USC Healthcare Network has implemented to deliver 
top-notch health care to hard-to-serve population, others include: the 
Violence Intervention program, the Day Care Center, the Trauma Outreach 
Program and the Safe Kids program.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring the Los 
Angeles County University of Southern California Medical Center for the 
extraordinary and commitment it has demonstrated in bridging the health 
care gap for Los Angelenos.

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