[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 132 (Thursday, October 19, 2000)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1842-E1843]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       TRIBUTE TO MARY RAINWATER

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. HENRY A. WAXMAN

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, October 18, 2000

  Mr. WAXMAN. Mr. Speaker, it's a great pleasure for me to pay tribute 
to Mary Rainwater, the executive director of the Los Angeles Free 
Clinic, for her tireless service to the Los Angeles community. Mary 
oversees the delivery of vital health services, including free medical 
and dental care, HIV education, counseling and testing, and prenatal 
care to tens of thousands of people each year. Her agency also provides 
job placement and training, low-cost legal assistance, and 
psychological counseling to support some of the most vulnerable members 
of our community.
  Before coming to the LA Free Clinic, Mary served as an adult literacy 
tutor, a guidance counselor for inner city youth, and a psychiatric 
social worker for homeless mentally ill individuals.
  In nearly eleven years as executive director, Mary's guidance has 
helped the LA Free Clinic double its budget and increase fourfold the 
number of patient visits its professionals provide. Without the LA Free 
Clinic, many of these patients would not have access to the cancer 
screening, family planning, and mental health services they need. The 
U.S. Department of Health and Human services has recognized the 
Hollywood Center, which opened under Mary's watch, as a ``Model That 
Works'' to provide comprehensive services to at-risk youth.
  In addition to her work with the LA Free Clinic, Mary serves the 
community through her memberships of the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce 
Board of Directors, the Board of Directors of the Community Clinic 
Association of Los Angeles County, Free Clinics of the Western Region, 
and the California Primary Care Association's Executive Committee.
  The people of Los Angeles and our entire nation owe Mary a debt of 
gratitude for her tireless work and tremendous record of achievement.

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