[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 140 (Thursday, September 20, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1935]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              HONORING WEST SIDE COMMUNITY HEALTH SERVICES

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. BETTY McCOLLUM

                              of minnesota

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, September 20, 2007

  Ms. McCOLLUM of Minnesota. Madam Speaker, today I rise to honor West 
Side Community Health Services for their 35 years of dedicated service 
ensuring the best quality health care for St. Paul's bilingual and 
bicultural communities.
  On behalf of the Twin Cities and the citizens of Minnesota, I wish to 
congratulate West Side Community Health Services for their work 
providing a progressive health care model that emphasizes education, 
prevention, and integrated services. These outstanding services are 
provided with respect for the cultures of the patients they serve. For 
more than a generation, West Side Community Health Services has been 
the voice for Latino, Hmong, adolescent, immigrant, and low income 
communities. West Side Community Health Services can be proud of their 
outreach to educate patients and family members where health care 
knowledge is needed most: in urban neighborhoods, schools, areas of 
public housing and homeless shelters.
  In 1969, West Side Community Health Services was established when a 
group of volunteers saw the need for bilingual health care for Spanish 
speaking residents. Located in the basement of St. Michael's Church, 
volunteers served between six and seven patients a day. Since then, 
West Side Community Health Services has flourished; incorporating its 
first clinic servicing 1,900 people in 1972, adding dental services in 
1978, health care for the homeless in 1987 and two public housing 
clinics in 1993. In 2000, West Side Community Health Services achieved 
accreditation by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Health Care 
Organizations.
  In its 35 years, West Side Community Health Services has increased 
the number of patients served to over 35,000. In 2006, 84 percent of 
their patients were from Asian, African American, American Indian or 
Latino communities; eighty-five percent had incomes less than $41,000 
for a family of four, and half did not have health insurance. The 250 
people who work at West Side Community Health Services facilitate 
access to health care by breaking down barriers related to trust, cost, 
location, culture, and language. In doing so West Side Community Health 
Services provides much needed care to vulnerable members of the 
community--serving them with the compassion, respect and quality health 
care they deserve.
  Madam Speaker, in honor of the founders of West Side Community Health 
Services, its staff, board members, and volunteers committed to 
educating and improving the health of the community, I am pleased to 
submit this statement for the Congressional Record  recognizing the 
35th anniversary of West Side Community Health Services.

                          ____________________