[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 39 (Thursday, March 22, 2001)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E437]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                             WOMEN'S HEALTH

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. STEPHANIE TUBBS JONES

                                of ohio

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, March 22, 2001

  Mrs. JONES of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, today I stand in celebration of 
female health care professionals who are charged with the 
responsibility of caring for the young, the elderly, the sick and even 
maintaining the wellness of the hale and hearty.
  I stand today to salute the women who were not always recognized with 
a title, the women with healing skills who were for many years only 
known as mother, or sister, or daughter. For many generations there 
have been women with a special understanding of biology and illnesses 
who served as the healthcare providers of their communities. Mr. 
Speaker I would like to honor the female pioneers in the medical 
profession who trailblazed the way for women today to be called Nurse 
and Doctor.
  The first African-American woman to be called Doctor in the state of 
Ohio was Dr. Emma Ann Reynolds. In her career, Dr. Reynolds' was faced 
with the odds of treating communities with inferior health care 
facilities and limited access to materials. Nevertheless, she dreamed 
of improving health services for persons of African-American descent.
  Due to the laws and standards of the time, she was denied admission 
to many nursing and medical schools because of her race. Emma graduated 
from Wilberforce University in Greene County, Ohio and taught public 
school for seven years before her potential came to the attention of 
the prominent African-American surgeon, Dr. Daniel Hale Williams, in 
1891. Dr. Williams was inspired to establish Provident Hospital in 
Chicago, Illinois, an interracial institution which included medical 
care for the community in South Chicago, as well as a School of Nursing 
for men and women of all races. Emma graduated eighteen months later 
with a nursing degree.
  Yet, her goals propelled her even higher. Emma became the first woman 
and the first African-American to graduate with a M.D. from 
Northwestern University School of Medicine in 1895.
  Dr. Emma Ann Reynolds practiced medicine in Texas and Louisiana 
before returning home to care for her ailing parents and community in 
Chillicothe, Ohio in 1902.
  Some of the hardships and experiences of America's pioneers have not 
changed. Today African-American healthcare professionals are four times 
more likely to practice in socio-economically deprived areas that 
already have an alarming shortage of physicians and adequate medical 
facilities.
  They will toil in communities with disproportional numbers of people 
suffering from HIV and AIDS, heart disease, high blood pressure, 
diabetes, and mental illness.
  They will treat the sick and infirm who are not insured but cannot be 
left to suffer.
  We must remember the names and honor the dedication it requires to 
nurture communities of people with a scarcity of resources.
  Dr. Emma Ann Reynolds' legacy survives in the female nurses and 
doctors who practice medicine in hospitals and poor communities across 
the country.
  Her legacy lives on in Provident Hospital which still serves the 
South Chicago area.
  In celebration of the thousands of women who are nurses and doctors, 
who have benefited from the trail blazed by our health care pioneers, I 
say thank you for your work.

                          ____________________