[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 82 (Tuesday, June 15, 2004)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1121]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         HONORING JUDY BENTLEY

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. WM. LACY CLAY

                              of missouri

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, June 15, 2004

  Mr. CLAY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Judy Bentley, the 
President and CEO of Community Health-in Partnership Services (CHIPS) 
in St. Louis. Ms. Bentley was recently selected as a 2004 Robert Wood 
Johnson Community Health Leader. She was one of just ten people 
nationally to be selected for this prestigious award, which includes a 
grant of over $105,000 to enhance her work.
  A nurse practitioner and native of St. Louis, Ms. Bentley was 
inspired to enter the healthcare field after her diagnosis of uterine 
cancer in 1975.
  Ms. Bentley founded CHIPS in 1990, and it remains the only free 
health clinic serving the mostly uninsured residents of north St. 
Louis. In its first year, CHIPS served about 250 clients in its meager 
facility in the basement of a local church. In 1991, the clinic moved 
to a new 5,600-square-foot facility. Currently run by a staff of 10 
full and parttime employees, along with a core of 19 volunteer 
professionals, CHIPS provides health screenings and primary-level 
health care to about 1,000 clients a month through both its outreach 
and in facility services.
  Ms. Bentley has also implemented a unique outreach program to provide 
prevention and health education in non-traditional community settings 
including banks, grocery stores, beauty salons, barbershops, and 
homeless centers. Ms. Bentley also promotes workforce development by 
hiring and training lay health educators to go door-to-door, enrolling 
clients, and has implemented an intergenerational program in which 
teens in the youth development program work with senior citizens.
  Mr. Speaker, I am honored to recognize Ms. Bentley for this national 
award, and express my gratitude for her determination and leadership. 
Her work among the medically underserved has undoubtedly inspired many 
others in St. Louis and elsewhere to take action. It is an honor to 
recognize her today for her important work and this well deserved 
award.

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