[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 51 (Tuesday, April 30, 2002)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E667]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




        IN RECOGNITION OF METHODIST HOSPITAL'S NEW STROKE CENTER

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. KEN BENTSEN

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, April 30, 2002

  Mr. BENTSEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise to congratulate the Texas Medical 
Center's Methodist Hospital as it dedicates its new Stroke Center on 
May 1, 2002, located in Houston, Texas. The dedication will provide the 
hospital with an opportunity to showcase the comprehensive new facility 
for the treatment and care of stroke patients.
  Founded in 1919, Methodist Hospital, the anchor facility for the 
Methodist Health Care System, has earned nationwide recognition. 
Methodist Health Care System is a nonprofit, comprehensive medical 
service and health care organization. It has expanded the world-
renowned clinical and service excellence of its founding entity, 
Methodist Hospital, through community hospitals, a health plan with 
multiple products and an acclaimed home health agency. Affiliated with 
the Texas Conference of the United Methodist Church, Methodist Health 
Care System strides to treat everyone it serves as a person of sacred 
worth and value.
  As the primary, private, adult teaching hospital for Baylor College 
of Medicine, Methodist Hospital, directs millions of research dollars 
into patient care and offers the latest innovations in medical, 
surgical and diagnostic techniques. For the past eighty years the 
hospital has established a legacy of medical milestones that continues 
to attract patients from around the world. Its international physician 
referral network and affiliations with hospitals that span four 
continents, including information centers in Guatemala City, Istanbul, 
and Mexico City, have placed Methodist at the forefront of the world's 
medical research and education.
  As you may know, much has been learned about the causes and 
prevention of strokes. In an effort to respond to those patients 
suffering from a stroke, who at one time were thought of as 
untreatable, Methodist Stroke Center has coordinated a multi-
disciplinary rapid response system. This system consists of a highly 
trained team of experts ranging from neurologists, cardiologists, to 
rehabilitative specialist. The services provided arc extensive and 
cover all aspects of stroke treatment. The Stroke Center is one of the 
many facilities within the Methodist Health Care System that has been 
nationally recognized by the medical community. In fact, Methodist 
Hospital was named among the country's top centers for urology, 
otolaryngology, kidney disease, ophthalmology, and neurology in U.S. 
News and World Report's 2001 Annual Guide to ``America's Best 
Hospital.'' Additionally, the hospital is consistently ranked as most 
preferred in Houston's Biannual Healthpoll Survey and was recognized by 
Hospitals and Health Networks as one of ``Health Care's 100 Most 
Wired'' health care facilities. The medical staff includes dozens of 
physicians listed in The Best Doctors in America.
  Mr. Speaker, I congratulate Texas Medical Center's Methodist Hospital 
for its eighty-three years of excellence and innovation in improving 
the quality of life and I look forward to the medical advances that 
will continue to emanate from its exceptional staff.




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