[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 130 (Tuesday, October 17, 2000)]
[Senate]
[Pages S10617-S10618]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




      CELEBRATING THE SUCCESS OF WEST VIRGINIA HEALTH RIGHT, INC.

 Mr. ROCKEFELLER. Mr. President, I rise today to celebrate the 
success of one of West Virginia's most successful non-profit health 
organizations. It gives me great honor to come to the floor today to be 
able to share with you the remarkable story of West Virginia Health 
Right, Inc.
  West Virginia Heath Right was the brainchild of a group of dedicated 
volunteers who recognized a desperate need to provide free, quality 
health care to the homeless, the working poor, the un- and 
underinsured, de-institutionalized mental health patients, and 
countless others. Their vision was realized when they opened a small, 
mission-driven health clinic in Charleston, West Virginia in 1982. From 
these modest beginnings, West Virginia Health Right, Inc. grew 
tremendously fast. They soon found that the need in the community was 
far greater than they had expected and moved from their original 
location in a soup kitchen in Kanawha County, to a homeless shelter, 
and finally settled into the third floor of the Charleston Area Medical 
Center. In 1989, West Virginia Health Right moved to their own clinic 
building supported by funds from the community. In 1999, West Virginia 
Health Right again appealed to the community for support and found an 
overwhelming reception to their needs. They are now housed in a state 
of the art clinic in Charleston.
  Modeling the success of the Charleston clinic, other free clinics 
began to sprout up in communities throughout the state at the rate of 
about one every two years. Today, Health Right has eight separate sites 
across West Virginia, including Charleston, Wheeling, Morgantown, 
Clarksburg, Huntington, Parkersburg, Bluefield, and Logan, which serve 
our State's poor and uninsured. Just recently, Health Right announced 
the opening of a new clinic in Beckley, West Virginia for which I am 
proud to serve as a board member. They will also be opening new 
locations in Summersville and Weirton. Remarkably, each of these 
facilities operates with just a small staff of employees, and relies 
entirely on the volunteer services of dedicated physicians and nurse 
practitioners from the area.
  West Virginia Health Right, Inc. is a living example that just a few 
people can make a difference. Eighteen years ago, four doctors and a 
dozen volunteers set out with a vision to provide health care to those 
who needed it most. Today, Health Right is a network of more than 500 
physicians and 15,000 volunteers serving 45,000 West Virginians each 
year. With the uninsured in this nation still at staggering levels, it 
gives me great pleasure to recognize the invaluable work of West 
Virginia Health Right, Inc., a group that rather than simply talking 
about a problem, is actually working to fill a vital need in our state.
  Congratulations, West Virginia Health Right, for your success. And 
thank you for your tireless contributions to the state of West 
Virginia.

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