[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 50 (Tuesday, April 1, 2008)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E464-E465]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




      HONORING THE CONTRIBUTIONS OF MARY TAVERNA ON HER RETIREMENT

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. LYNN C. WOOLSEY

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, April 1, 2008

  Ms. WOOLSEY. Madam Speaker, I rise with great pleasure today to honor 
a leader in my district who has done so much to help the terminally ill 
and their families face end-of-life issues. Mary Taverna is retiring 
after more than 30 years with the organization now known as Hospice By 
the Bay. She leaves behind an enduring legacy of hope and compassion to 
the people of Marin County, the San Francisco Bay area, and across the 
United States.
  When she first began working as a nurse, Mary was concerned about the 
terminally ill and the lack of adequate care, so it was a natural step 
in 1976 for her to join what was then Hospice of Marin, which had been 
founded the previous year. At that time Hospice of Marin was only the 
second hospice in the United States, the first on the West Coast, and 
most Americans were unaware of what the hospice mission was. In fact, 
even the health care industry resisted it.
  Mary was instrumental in changing all that, teaching that hospice was 
a specially designed program to address the comprehensive needs of the 
whole family system at the end of life, and that it was part of--not 
instead of--the health care support team. Two years after coming to 
Hospice of Mann, Mary became president of the organization. Under her 
leadership, Hospice nurtured community relationships as well as they 
did the families they served, including building a partnership with 
management of both county hospitals. Hospice of Marin is such a model 
that health care providers come here for training from all parts of the 
United States.
  ``I feel a great sense of pride in our organization's leadership and 
participation in hospice

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history,'' Mary once said. ``Twenty-five years ago, we never imagined 
the number of Americans who would be touched by our efforts.''
  A recognized expert and leader of the hospice movement, Mary helped 
pioneer the advocacy efforts for legislation that led to the 
introduction in Congress of the Medicare Hospice Benefit in 1982. This 
bill provided public health care insurance coverage for hospice 
services, allowing clients to receive compassionate care and hospices 
to sustain themselves financially. In 1986, the Medicare Hospice 
Benefit became permanent, eventually leading to private insurance 
coverage, as well.
  To further ensure the sustainability of hospice care in Marin County, 
in 1997, Mary helped create--and became the president of--the Hospice 
of Marin Foundation. The foundation's mission is to provide 
philanthropic support to Hospice operations.
  Both the foundation and the hospice programs continued to grow, and 
over the past few years expanded into San Francisco and Sonoma 
counties, as well. Consequently, Hospice of Marin no longer described 
the organization and 2 years ago, the name was changed to Hospice By 
the Bay.
  ``In recent years, we were invited into our neighboring communities 
to share our experience and resources with other hospice communities,'' 
Mary said of the change, adding that it evolved from a desire to be 
more inclusive of the bay area, rather than imply a geographic 
exclusivity.
  And truly, there has not been a geographic exclusivity to the effects 
of Mary's work. The National Hospice Organization in 1995 named her 
``the individual who has done the most for hospice in the national and 
international level.'' Since then, she has been selected to help guide 
that organization as chair of its board of directors.
  Madam Speaker, Mary Taverna's dedication to hospice services, her 
leadership of Hospice By the Bay and her continued work as chair of the 
board of the National Hospice Organization have left an indelible mark 
not only on the Sixth District and the San Francisco Bay area, but on 
areas throughout the United States. And that is why, Madam Speaker, I 
honor Mary Taverna on her retirement after more than 30 years of 
service to a cause forever in her debt.

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