[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 78 (Tuesday, June 14, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1231]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




      PATIENT NAVIGATOR, OUTREACH AND CHRONIC DISEASE PREVENTION 
                                  ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                          HON. ROBERT MENENDEZ

                             of new jersey

                  in the house of representatives

                         Monday, June 13, 2005

  Mr. MENENDEZ. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my colleague, Mr. Brown, 
as well as Mr. Dingell, the Ranking Member on the Energy and Commerce 
Committee; Chairman Barton; Mr. Deal, the Chairman on the Health 
Subcommittee; and all of their staff. And I particularly want to thank 
my good friend and lead cosponsor, Deborah Pryce, and her staff who 
have been actively engaged in this effort and have been instrumental in 
getting this bill to the Floor today. And, of course, her own personal 
experiences and her family's struggle with cancer have made her such a 
powerful advocate in this regard. This is truly a bipartisan effort and 
a case study in how--if we choose to work together, across the aisle--
we can really make a difference.
  And we cannot talk about patient navigators without thanking Drs. 
Harold Freeman, Elmer Huerta, and Gil Friedell, who have been pioneers 
in creating patient navigator programs that can be replicated across 
the country--which is exactly what we're doing today.
  There is no question that we have a health care crisis in this 
country. Not only does the cost of our nation's health care system 
discourage people from getting the care they need, but the sheer 
complexity of the system can be so overwhelming that patients don't 
even know what their treatment options are.
  The Patient Navigator bill addresses these issues, as well as other 
barriers that America's families--just like New Jersey's families--face 
in getting the health care they need and deserve. The bill encourages 
prevention and early detection in order to keep the costs of health 
care down, and provides a patient navigator to help families navigate 
the complex health care system so that they get the best treatment 
options available when a family member is diagnosed with cancer or 
another chronic disease.
  It will ensure that all Americans, regardless of income, race, 
ethnicity, language, or geography, will have access to prevention 
screening and treatment, and that they will have an advocate at their 
side, helping them navigate through today's complicated health care 
system.
  For example, a mother who has just been told that she could have 
breast cancer and needs to see a specialist would benefit from a 
patient navigator who would help her understand her diagnosis, make 
sure she follows through and sees the doctor, and identify health 
coverage options that might be available to help with the cost of her 
treatment. And, because that mother heard about the importance of 
getting regular check-ups, hopefully her cancer will be found at a much 
earlier stage, giving her a much better chance of survival and giving 
her family a better chance at a long, healthy life together.
  The bill addresses what I believe are the root causes of health 
disparities in minority and underserved communities: that's lack of 
access to health care, particularly prevention and early detection. The 
bottom line is: the only way to stay healthy is to see a doctor when 
you are healthy. Unfortunately, patients in underserved communities are 
less likely to receive early screening and detection, so their disease 
is found at a much later stage and they have less chance of survival. 
That's why we're here today--to give those people the chance they 
deserve for a long, healthy life.
  The Patient Navigator bill does this by replicating the successful 
models developed by Drs. Freeman, Huerta, and Friedell in a national 
demonstration project. It focuses on outreach and prevention, through 
Community Health Centers, Rural Health Clinics, Indian Health Clinics, 
and cancer clinics. And it does so by providing patient navigator 
services and outreach in health disparity communities to encourage 
people to get screened early so that they can receive the care they 
need. Patient navigators educate and empower patients, serving as their 
advocates in navigating the health care system.
  In addition to having visited both Dr. Freeman's program in Harlem 
and Dr. Huerta's program here in Washington, my constituents in New 
Jersey and I have seen first-hand the difference patient navigators can 
make in a community. I was able to secure funding for a one-year 
demonstration project at a Community Health Center in Jersey City, New 
Jersey. That program has screened more than 1,400 people and has a 
caseload of about 300 patients who were identified through these 
screenings with abnormal findings and are currently benefiting from the 
help of the patient navigator in finding follow-up care and treatment.

  And before I close I want to share one of the most compelling stories 
I've heard and one of the reasons I've worked so hard to make this 
program a reality for more Americans. It's the story about Hazel 
Hailey, one of the patient navigators in New Jersey, and her daughter, 
Robin Waiters. Robin, who was only 36 years old, suffered severe 
stomach pains for 2 years and refused to see a doctor, despite her 
mother's pleas for her to seek medical care. Finally, she had no choice 
but to go see a doctor. Tragically, 3 months later, Robin died from 
colorectal cancer. Her mother, Hazel, tells about her daughter's last 
request--she made her mom promise to tell all her friends, family and 
everyone she could ``that if your body is trying to tell you something, 
listen to it. You could possibly save your life.'' Hazel quotes her 
daughter as saying, ``I am dying because I chose not to get help. Fear 
set in and I lost out on life.'' Hazel is fulfilling her promise to her 
daughter as a patient navigator, working every day to ensure that what 
happened to her daughter doesn't happen to other families. And that's 
why we're here today, to ensure that the Hazels across the country have 
the tools they need to educate and empower people about the importance 
of early detection and screening, and to help them navigate the 
complexities of the health care system so that they get the treatment 
and follow-up care they need.
  Again, I want to thank my colleague Deborah Pryce for all of her work 
on this effort, as well as all of those who have worked behind the 
scenes to make this concept a reality. We have strong bipartisan 
support for this bill in both the House and Senate, and I am more 
optimistic than ever before that we can make this program a reality and 
help families struggling to afford their health care and to understand 
the complex system in order to get the care they need. There's simply 
too much at stake if we don't act.

                          ____________________