[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 90 (Tuesday, June 26, 2001)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1205-E1206]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




     EXTENDING APPRECIATION TO THE MEMBERS OF THE SUBCOMMITTEE ON 
                       AGRICULTURE APPROPRIATIONS

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. GEORGE RADANOVICH

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, June 26, 2001

  Mr. RADANOVICH. Mr. Speaker, I wish to extend my appreciation to our 
fine chairman, the ranking member, and all of the members of the 
Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug 
Administration and Related Agencies for their good work on the 
agriculture spending bill and the accompanying report that passed the 
full committee on June 13th. In particular, I am thankful that the 
Subcommittee has recognized the important contributions made by the 
Valley Children's Hospital located in California's Central Valley.
  Valley Children's Hospital (VCH) is the only freestanding children's 
hospital in a rural area in the United States. VCH serves the 10-
county, 60,000 square mile region between Los Angeles and the San 
Francisco Bay, and it functions as a ``safety-net'' health care 
provider to all children of Central California. The facility provides 
services regardless of an individual's race, religion or ability to 
pay, with over 70 percent of its patients on MediCal.

[[Page E1206]]

  As you can imagine, VCH faces many challenges to its ability to 
provide health care. These challenges include inadequate 
transportation, shortages of health professionals, high poverty and 
unemployment, and the fact that there are 93 different spoken languages 
and dialects in the region. Each of the 10 counties that VCH serves is 
federally designated as medically underserved.
  In light of budget realities, we must continue to carefully define 
our appropriations priorities. I appreciate the Subcommittee's 
recognition that Valley Children's Hospital is a meritorious 
organization with projects that deserve special consideration.

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