[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 54 (Thursday, April 3, 2003)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E662]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[[Page E662]]
                        IN HONOR OF HAROLD BROWN

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. RON KIND

                              of wisconsin

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, April 3, 2003

  Mr. KIND. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor my good friend Harold 
Brown. Harold is celebrating his 30th anniversary as chief executive 
officer at Prairie du Chien Memorial Hospital.
  Wisconsin's second oldest city, Prairie du Chien, is a town of 5,500 
people that is rich in both history and culture. Located on the 
beautiful Mississippi River, Prairie du Chien works hard to maintain 
its pioneer heritage. Memorial Hospital, a model for rural hospitals 
around the country, is a 40-bed facility that receives approximately 
1,800 admissions and 6,600 emergency room visits each year. Under 
Harold's guidance, Prairie du Chien Memorial Hospital has won both 
national and state awards for its exemplary service.
  My friend Harold has brought an enormous amount of leadership to his 
position at the hospital. He has been a small and rural hospital 
administrator for 37 years and was previously a health care consultant 
and medical education administrator for 6 years. He has received 
numerous awards, most recently the Governor's Exemplary Employers Award 
and the Wisconsin Children's Trust Fund Award, both in 2002. In 1988, 
Harold received the Louis Gorin Award for Outstanding Contribution to 
Rural Health Care by the National Rural Health Association. Continually 
awarded the Employee of the Year Award by the employees of Memorial 
Hospital, he also received the Community Distinguished Service 
Recognition Award for 25 years of service.
  From 1985 to 1990, Harold worked hard to provide new services for the 
elderly at Memorial Hospital. He developed and implemented certified 
hospice and rural regional hospice, as well as day care for the 
elderly. He helped establish an independent living program for seniors, 
as well as meals-on-wheels service. Further, Harold was instrumental in 
starting elderly apartment housing, as well as a companion care 
program.
  In 1990, Harold expanded Memorial Hospital's service to the community 
to include, among other programs, child day care, expanded rehab 
services, athletic training, parish nursing, and personal care.
  A longtime member of the Wisconsin Hospital Association, Harold is 
also a part of the National Rural Hospital Association, serving as the 
group's president in 1996. He is also a board member of the Rural 
Wisconsin Hospital Cooperative, an organization that includes 26 rural 
hospitals. A member of the AIDS committee, Harold is involved with 
Shared Health Services, a corporation providing services to 400 
hospitals and nursing homes.
  Harold continues to take an interest in Prairie du Chien. A highly 
active member of the community, he is a member of the City Planning 
Council, the Special School Board Committee, and the St. Peter's 
Lutheran Church Council. His service has not gone unnoticed; in 1997, 
Harold was awarded the Volunteer of the Year Award by the National 
Rural Health Association. He received the Prairie du Chien Area Chamber 
of Commerce C.F. LaPointe Award in 1999, an honor that is given 
annually for service to one's community. He has committed himself to 
not only the healthcare needs of Prairie du Chien but to its other 
needs as well.
  Harold's service to the state of Wisconsin and the community of 
Prairie du Chien has been tremendous. He has dedicated much of his life 
to providing quality health care and has touched many lives along the 
way. Harold is truly a man of great service, and I feel privileged to 
call him a friend.

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