[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 165 (Monday, October 29, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E2264-E2265]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  CONGRATULATING CRIDER HEALTH CENTER

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. W. TODD AKIN

                              of missouri

                    in the house of representatives

                        Monday, October 29, 2007

  Mr. AKIN. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize the Crider Health 
Center, located in St. Charles, Missouri. Recently, the Department of 
Health & Human Services announced that Crider Health Center's 
application to become a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) was 
approved.
  For the past 27 years, the Crider Health Center has provided mental 
health treatment and services for underinsured and uninsured adults, 
children and families affected by persistent mental illness and serious 
emotional disorders. Since its inception, the Center has notably 
expanded its service programs to

[[Page E2265]]

meet the rapidly changing expectations in the area of mental health 
service delivery. Such dedication has enabled Crider to serve over 
35,000 residents a year in a four-county area who are in desperate need 
of such services.
  Previously, the Crider Health Center faced consistent challenges in 
obtaining medical and oral health care services for their patients. In 
fact, the nearest federally qualified health centers for persons living 
in this four-county area were in St. Louis, Potosi and Columbia, 
Missouri. Such distances created a considerable challenge in terms of 
access for low-income residents in Crider's service area.
  Crider Health Center's new FQHC status will allow Crider to integrate 
its current mental health care services with primary and oral health 
care services. This integration not only allows Crider to better serve 
its consumers but aid in further addressing the health care disparities 
in the St. Louis region.
  I congratulate the Crider Health Center's recent FQHC designation. 
The Crider Health Center is an exemplary example of the leadership we 
have in Missouri and I am pleased to honor them in their continued 
endeavor to provide for the needs of the people in the St. Louis 
region.

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