[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 26 (Wednesday, February 12, 2003)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E196-E197]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            IN RECOGNITION OF GOUVERNEUR HEALTHCARE SERVICES

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. CAROLYN B. MALONEY

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, February 11, 2003

  Mrs. MALONEY. Mr. Speaker, I would like to pay tribute to Gouverneur 
Healthcare Services, on the occasion of their Annual Chinese New Year 
Celebration. Founded in 1885, Gouverneur Healthcare Services has a rich 
and lengthy history of providing innovative healthcare services for New 
Yorkers and their families.
  In 1885, Gouverneur made history by becoming America's first public 
hospital to establish a tuberculosis clinic. As a pioneer in 
healthcare, it was also the first institution to employ a female 
physician on its ambulance service as well as the first to set up day 
camp on a boat for undernourished adults and children. A century later, 
Gouverneur established Project HELP, the first psychiatric mobile 
crisis unit for homeless, mentally ill individuals. These are just a 
few examples of Gouverneur's ability to create innovative programs to 
fulfill the needs of our community.
  Gouverneur's 210 bed Nursing Facility has provided outstanding 
skilled nursing and rehabilitation care for over a quarter of a 
century. Care is provided in an ethnically and culturally sensitive 
manner, with special programs for Chinese and Hispanics. In addition, 
Gouverneur's ambulatory care facility, with over 300,000 visits in FY 
1998, is one of the city's busiest. Among Gouverneur's many notable 
services is the Diagnostic and Treatment Center, which is the largest 
in New York State, providing more than 300,000 visits each year. The 
center focuses on maintaining patient wellness through a wide range of 
outpatient diagnostic and healthcare services including general 
medicine, pediatrics, gynecology, obstetrics, HIV care, behavioral 
health, dentistry, podiatry, dermatology and an eye clinic.
  Gouverneur aims to reach all members of the culturally and ethnically 
rich Manhattan community. Special programs include the Asian Bicultural 
Unit, which provides psychiatric services for members of the Asian 
community, and the Roberto Clemente Center and the Sylvia Del Villard 
Continuing Day Treatment Program, which offer mental health programs 
designed to suit the needs of the Latino community.
  Gouverneur's attentive concern and dedication to a multi-cultural 
patient population have made it a leader in providing services to non-
English speaking patients. Gouverneur's staff is multilingual and is 
devoted to meeting each patients' individual needs. For example, 
Gouverneur's nursing facility provides Chinese, English and Spanish 
menus, with an emphasis on individual food preferences.
  Gouverneur's multicultural services department works diligently to 
ensure that each and every patient feels comfortable while his or her 
healthcare needs are addressed. The department has members and 
volunteers that provide interpreting services in various languages, and 
printed materials are available in English, Chinese and Spanish 
throughout the facility. Gouverneur has also piloted TEMIS,

[[Page E197]]

an award winning system that enables patients and their providers to 
receive simultaneous translation during exams through the use of 
wireless technology.
  As an active leader in the community, Gouverneur hosted ``Celebrate 
Better Hearing and Speech Month'' in May 2002. The event raised public 
awareness and offered free speech and language screenings to children 
from a widely diverse community in their own native languages. As a 
result of the collaboration, many children were screened and 
approximately 75% were flagged for possible speech and language 
difficulties.
  In recognition of Gouverneur Healthcare Services' outstanding 
contributions to the community and their commitment to the quality of 
life of the diverse New York City community, I ask that my colleagues 
join me in saluting Gouverneur Healthcare Services on the occasion of 
their Annual Chinese New Year Celebration.

                          ____________________