[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 45 (Friday, April 2, 2004)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E522]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 THE GREATER TEXARKANA PEOPLES' CLINIC

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                             HON. MIKE ROSS

                              of arkansas

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, April 2, 2004

  Mr. ROSS. Mr. Speaker, it is with great pleasure that I congratulate 
The Greater Texarkana Peoples' Clinic on its grand opening. The clinic, 
whose motto is Good Health for All, was established to provide free, 
quality health care to qualifying residents in the greater Texarkana 
area, which includes Miller (Arkansas) and Bowie (Texas) Counties, who 
do not have access to basic medical services. The First United 
Methodist Church at 401 N. Stateline, Texarkana, Texas has offered its 
facilities as a site for the clinic.
  Statistics from the Kaiser Family Foundation indicate that sixteen 
percent of Arkansans are uninsured and twenty-five percent of Texans 
are uninsured. In The Greater Texarkana Peoples' Clinic's medical 
service area, forty-one percent of their service area population is 
uninsured. Instead of waiting for a government fix, the people saw a 
need and set about solving that need. Thanks in part to Chaplain Jim 
Rowland, president of the Greater Texarkana Ministerial Alliance, Dr. 
Tim Reynolds, medical director, and Dr. D. Jack Smith, clinic board 
member, a non-judgmental, compassionate environment in which to serve 
those individuals and families largely rejected by mainstream society 
has been created. The Greater Texarkana Peoples' Clinic is truly the 
result of a collaborative community effort. Medical professionals 
throughout the Texarkana area along with numerous volunteers are 
generously giving their expertise, time and financial support to make 
this initiative an overwhelming success.
  I join with the leadership of Texarkana, Arkansas and Texarkana, 
Texas in thanking and congratulating all that were involved in bringing 
The Greater Texarkana Peoples' Clinic to a reality. The clinic and its 
services will prove to be an asset for years to come.

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