[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 54 (Thursday, April 28, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E824]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    IN HONOR OF LA RED HEALTH CENTER

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. MICHAEL N. CASTLE

                              of delaware

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, April 28, 2005

  Mr. CASTLE. Mr. Speaker, it is with great pleasure that I rise today 
to pay tribute to the La Red Health Center, located in Georgetown, 
Delaware. La Red is an important and effective health care provider for 
the residents of Sussex County. The center provides bilingual high-
quality and cost-effective primary and preventive medical care to over 
5,000 Sussex County residents who are uninsured, underinsured or face 
other barriers to medical care. La Red's importance is highlighted by 
the fact that the United States Census Bureau finds Sussex County to 
possess the fastest growing Latino and African American populations in 
Delaware. With such growth, there are limited medical resources to meet 
the unique needs of these populations. For this reason, La Red's recent 
attainment of federally qualified health center status by the U.S 
Department of Health and Human Services is so important and exciting.
  The center will receive $650,000 in federal funding each year for the 
next three years. La Red will also receive $200,000 a year for the next 
three years through the Rural Health Outreach Program, to support La 
Red's Prenatal Program. La Red has faced many hurdles on the path to 
receiving this distinction, facing challenges to secure funding and 
reach out to underserved populations.
  In addition to the Congressional Delegation of Delaware, the staff at 
La Red deserve our highest praise. Over the past few years, they have 
managed to improve and expand services, while simultaneously reaching 
out to the Sussex community. By qualifying for health center status, La 
Red will continue to improve its services with such federal privileges 
as: the 340 B Federal Discount Drug program, which allows La Red to get 
discount rates on prescription drugs; applying for federal tort claims, 
which provides insurance to the center; and receiving federally funded 
technical assistance.
  This is a very exciting time for La Red, but even more so for the 
growing number of patients in Sussex County--they have a reliable and 
quality health center they can turn to in times of need.

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