[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 81 (Friday, June 17, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1261]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     RECOGNIZING MR. THOMAS CONKLIN

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                          HON. RICHARD E. NEAL

                            of massachusetts

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, June 16, 2005

  Mr. NEAL of Massachusetts. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the 
tremendous career of Mr. Thomas Conklin, a physician and visionary.
  After graduating from Louisiana State Medical School, Dr. Thomas 
Conklin became board certified in psychiatry and administration and 
established a private practice in his hometown of Ellington, 
Connecticut. Dr. Conklin left his practice with twenty years of 
experience in search of a place where he could administer medicine. In 
1992 Dr. Conklin became Director of Health Services at the Hampden 
County Correctional Center in Ludlow, Massachusetts. Sheriff Michael J. 
Ashe Jr. once said upon meeting Dr. Conklin how amazed he was with his 
dedication, innovation, and willingness. Dr. Conklin saw a lack of 
attention from the local community towards inmates, especially through 
proper medical care. Dr. Conklin once called correctional facilities 
``reservoirs of illness'' because these facilities can harbor many 
diseases like HIV, STDs, and Hepatitis which endanger the local 
population when released inmates bring these diseases out into the 
public. Instead of waiting for these diseases to breakout into the 
public, Dr. Conklin took a proactive approach by beginning a Public 
Health Model. This revolutionary system established relationships with 
inmates by using local health physicians and setting up neighborhood 
health centers.
  As a result of Dr. Conklin's persistent efforts, today 100 percent of 
Hampden County inmates obtain a complete physical exam, and over 90 
percent of those inmates being released keep medical appointments in 
the community. In 1998 the National Commission for Correctional 
Healthcare selected Hampden County Correctional Center as facility of 
the year. Dr. Conklin's efforts brought national attention to the 
growing risks from lack of inmate healthcare within corrections 
facilities. Dr. Conklin's model now serves as catalyst for other 
correctional facility health programs nationwide.
  Dr. Conklin continues teaching other facilitators about the Public 
Health Model through producing publications and leading numerous health 
conferences. As a member of the NCCHC-NIJ expert panel on mental 
illness, he led Hampden County Correction Facility to new 
groundbreaking achievements. Through his compassion, Dr. Conklin has 
been able to make his dreams as a visionary become reality for all that 
helps regardless of their wealth or status. Mr. Speaker, Dr. Conklin's 
commitment and leadership during his forty years of service as 
physician and administrator are more than worthy of our recognition 
today.

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