[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 107 (Thursday, June 26, 2008)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1387]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   NAAYI YOUTH PROGRAM--ENCOURAGING MORE MINORITIES TO ENTER HEALTH 
                              PROFESSIONS

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. BARBARA LEE

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, June 26, 2008

  Ms. LEE. Madam Speaker, I want to acknowledge and thank my good 
friend and colleague Dr. Donna Christensen, the chair of the 
Congressional Black Caucus Health Braintrust. As the only doctor in the 
CBC, Congresswoman Christensen--we all look to Donna for her advice and 
her insight on critical health issues that affect our communities.
  Whether it is finding ways to address racial and ethnic health 
disparities, helping our health care system provide culturally 
competent and culturally relevant care, or helping encourage young 
people, like you all, to enter the health professions, we rely on Donna 
to guide us.
  I want to thank her for her leadership and for helping to organize 
this event today.
  My background is as a psychiatric social worker. I know how important 
it is to have people of color in the health professions; people that 
can relate to their patients and who can provide help and advice in a 
way that is relevant for them.
  As a member of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and 
Human Services, and Education, I have been working with my colleagues 
to increase funding to increase diversity in the health professions.
  This year I'm pleased to report that we have developed a bill that 
would provide nearly $104 million to increase diversity training 
programs in the health professions. That's an increase of $34 million 
from last year.
  These funds will go towards programs and institutions that help train 
minority health professionals and provide scholarship support to help 
defray the costs of an education.
  As we move through the appropriations process I look forward to 
working with my colleagues to ensure that we keep and grow the money 
for these programs.

                          ____________________