[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 126 (Thursday, November 9, 2006)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1989]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   TRIBUTE TO THE HOSPITAL OF SAINT RAPHAEL AS THEY CELEBRATE THEIR 
                         CENTENNIAL ANNIVERSARY

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. ROSA L. DeLAURO

                             of connecticut

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, November 9, 2006

  Ms. DeLAURO. Mr. Speaker, it is with great pleasure that I rise today 
to join all administration, staff, and the New Haven community in 
extending my sincere congratulations to the Hospital of Saint Raphael 
as they mark their l00th Anniversary. The Hospital of Saint Raphael is 
one of New Haven's leading employers as well as one of the largest 
providers of healthcare in Connecticut. As we commemorate this 
remarkable milestone, we also celebrate all that the Hospital of Saint 
Raphael has brought to our community and look forward to the 
innovations that are sure to come in the future.
  Since its founding by the Sisters of Charity of Saint Elizabeth 100 
years ago, the Hospital of Saint Raphael has grown from a 12-bed 
facility to a 511-bed community teaching hospital. The Sisters came to 
New Haven at the request of a group of local physicians who asked that 
they administer a hospital that would be open to all--all members of 
the medical profession and any patient, regardless of race, creed, 
color, or economic status. The Hospital of Saint Raphael, named for one 
of the few archangels recognized by many faiths and who has been long 
revered as a patron of the sick and healing, has built on this original 
vision and has become a local leader in providing quality healthcare to 
all members of our community. In addition to meeting the general 
healthcare needs of their patients, the administration and staff have 
developed a myriad of outreach programs designed specifically to ensure 
that those most in need--those who are the most underserved--are 
educated about healthcare and have access to the care that they need. 
It is that special vision that has driven the success of Saint 
Raphael's and how they continue to make a difference in our community.
  Over the course of my career I have been proud to stand with the 
leaders of Saint Raphael's--those like my dear friends Sister Louise 
Anthony, Sister Anne Virginie, and David Benfer--to work with them to 
bring both local and national attention to a number of healthcare 
issues facing our communities. Devoting their lives to the Sisters of 
Charity, Sister Louise and Sister Anne brought not only their 
compassion, but a unique dedication to the mission of Saint Raphael 
Hospital. Sister Louise began her time at Saint Raphael's as a nursing 
student and retired as the chief executive officer. It was under the 
leadership of Sister Louise that the Hospital of Saint Raphael opened 
the first freestanding, self contained radiation therapy treatment 
center in New England as well as became the first community hospital in 
Connecticut to perform open-heart surgery and open a coronary care 
unit. Beginning her career as associate administrator, then as 
president of the hospital. and finally as president and chief executive 
officer of the Saint Raphael Healthcare System, Sister Anne provided 
Connecticut residents with the highest quality health care. Today their 
outstanding leadership is followed by David Benfer who, during his 
tenure of six years, has enabled Saint Raphael's to further its 
reputation as a clinical pioneer in cardiac, cancer, orthopedic, 
neurosciences, and geriatric services.
  The Hospital of Saint Raphael has been a long-standing champion of 
efforts to bring awareness to lawmakers of the seriousness of today's 
healthcare crisis as well as the plight of uninsured Americans. Saint 
Raphael's and its staff were also one of the leading advocates for and 
were instrumental in the passage state legislation which protects women 
from the dangers of drive through mastectomies. This is an issue which 
I have taken an active interest in at the federal level and I am 
grateful for the support I have received from the Hospital, its staff 
and its leaders. It is this kind of advocacy, compassion, and 
commitment to quality healthcare that has made Saint Raphael's such a 
success over the last century.
  It is a privilege for me to rise today to pay tribute to the 
invaluable contributions the Hospital of Saint Raphael has made, not 
only to our community, but to the healthcare community as well. I am 
proud to extend my sincere congratulations to this outstanding 
institution as they celebrate their centennial anniversary. I have no 
doubt that in the years to come, the Hospital of Saint Raphael will 
continue to be a leader in the healthcare industry and a vigilant 
advocate on behalf of those most in need.

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