[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 97 (Wednesday, July 14, 2004)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1371]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    PAYING TRIBUTE TO DR. PAUL SMITH

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. SCOTT McINNIS

                              of colorado

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, July 13, 2004

  Mr. McINNIS. Mr. Speaker, it is my privilege to pay tribute to Dr. 
Paul Smith and thank him for his work as Associate Chief of Staff for 
Community-Based Care. His years of commitment and dedication as a 
public servant are certainly commendable and worthy of recognition 
before this body of Congress and this nation today. As Paul celebrates 
his retirement, let it be known that I, along with my fellow Coloradans 
are grateful for all that he has accomplished during his years of 
service.
  Paul received his degrees from the University of Southern Colorado in 
Pueblo, Colorado Northwestern University Medical School before going on 
to join the U.S. Army as a physician in 1991 and completed his Family 
Practice residency at Womack Army Medical Center, Fort Bragg, North 
Carolina. Paul became Board Certified in Family Practice and then 
served for four more years as an active duty Family Physician at Evans 
Army Community Hospital, Fort Carson, Colorado.
  Paul entered private practice in Pueblo, Colorado in 1998 and enjoyed 
a busy practice until 2000 when he joined the Veterans Affairs 
Department as a staff physician at the Pueblo VA Community Based 
Outpatient Clinic in August. He is a member of the National Academy of 
Family Physicians and a 2001 graduate of the VA's Health Care 
Leadership Institute course.
  In addition to his strength as a doctor Paul also excels in 
administration, as he was appointed Acting Chief of Staff of the 
Southern Colorado Health Care System (SCHCS) in 2000 and became Acting 
Director in 2002. Through his guidance and coordination of the 
integration of the SCHCS with the Denver VA Medical Center it has 
become a stalwart model of exemplary healthcare. This experience led to 
his current position as Associate Chief of Staff for Community-Based 
Care, overseeing seven Community Based Outpatient Clinics throughout 
the Eastern Colorado Health Care System.
  Mr. Speaker, it is clear that Dr. Paul Smith has been an invaluable 
resource to the Colorado Health care. It is my honor to recognize his 
service and dedication before this body of Congress and this nation. I 
am grateful for the opportunity to work with dedicated public servants 
like Paul. On behalf of the citizens that have benefited from the hard 
work and commitment he has given to the Community-Base Care Program and 
the constituents it serves, I extend my appreciation for his years of 
dedicated service.

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