[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 184 (Tuesday, December 4, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2482]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       A TRIBUTE TO YVONNE GRAHAM

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. EDOLPHUS TOWNS

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, December 4, 2007

  Mr. TOWNS. Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute and to honor 
our Brooklyn Deputy Borough President Yvonne J. Graham. Yvonne was born 
and raised in Jamaica, West Indies. She moved to New York in 1979. 
Yvonne has a Bachelor's Degree in Health Administration and Community 
Health from St. Joseph's College and a Master's Degree in Public Health 
from Hunter College. She also completed the Executive Program in 
Business Administration at Columbia University School of Business and 
more recently, an Honorary Doctorate of Law Degree that was conferred 
on her by her alma mater St. Joseph's College. Yvonne, also a 
registered nurse, has worked in the emergency room of Brookdale 
Hospital.
  Yvonne has been a pioneer and a champion in the area of public health 
for more than 20 years. Before accepting her post as Brooklyn's Deputy 
Borough President, Yvonne founded and was Executive Director of the 
Caribbean Women's Health Association which provides comprehensive, 
culturally-sensitive health care, immigration, and social support 
services to diverse communities. Her vision was critical to the 2005 
founding of Brooklyn's first Center on Health Disparities which is 
working to reduce cardiovascular disease, HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, 
infant mortality, asthma, and diabetes among minority communities. The 
center is an innovative partnership with the Borough President's 
Office, SUNY Downstate Medical Center and the Arthur Ashe Institute for 
Urban Health.
  Yvonne has led the effort to increase the number of women in 
leadership positions in government, business, and industry by 
spearheading the Women's Leadership Initiative. This is a partnership 
between academic institutions, government agencies, community-based 
organizations, and the private sector that brings women together for 
dialogue and networking.
  Yvonne was instrumental in the co-naming of Flatbush's Nostrand 
Avenue in honor of Haitian revolutionary hero Toussaint L'Ouverture. 
She served on the Mayor's Committee on Immigration; the New York City 
HIV Planning Council; and the Mayor's Commission on the Status of 
Women.
  Yvonne has been the recipient of numerous awards and honors for her 
achievements in community service, including YWCA's Women of 
Distinction Award; National Association of Black Social Workers' Public 
Citizen of the Year Award; the Marcus Garvey Medal of Honor; and the 
Frederick Douglass Medal of Honor just to name a few.
  Madam Speaker, I would like to recognize Brooklyn Deputy Borough 
President Yvonne Graham for her many accomplishments and all of her 
efforts to ensure that our most vulnerable citizens have access to 
healthcare.
  Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in paying tribute to 
Yvonne J. Graham.

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