[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 130 (Friday, August 1, 2008)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1669]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[[Page E1669]]
 HONORING 100 YEARS OF THE VISITING NURSE SERVICE IN SOUTHERN WISCONSIN

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. TAMMY BALDWIN

                              of wisconsin

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, July 31, 2008

  Ms. BALDWIN. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the Visiting Nurse 
Service for its 100-year commitment to the improvement and expansion of 
patient medical care in southern Wisconsin. Since 1908, when the Attic 
Angel Association began working with a local nurse to procure in-home 
care for its residents, the Visiting Nurse Service has grown to become 
an integral component of the Wisconsin health care industry. As a 
section of the Home Health United health care agency, the Visiting 
Nurse Service now continues to facilitate independent living and 
enhance the quality of life for patients across 23 Wisconsin counties. 
By offering patients the option to cope with illness and work with 
medical professionals from the comfort of their own homes, the Visiting 
Nurse Service has truly enhanced our Nation's health care system.
  The Visiting Nurse Service that operates in Wisconsin originated in 
Madison as an innovative, unique approach to health care. It all began 
when the Attic Angel Association, initially founded as a charitable 
service group, perceived a void in the health care system. By hiring 
Maud Reeder, the first visiting nurse in the area, Attic Angel found a 
way to improve the scope of existing medical services by initiating 
more convenient, personalized in-home care. The Attic Angel Association 
helped implement a change in Wisconsin's health care system that would 
extend far beyond the Madison area. Since its inception, the Visiting 
Nurse Service has operated with the simple goals of providing more 
accessible nursing services and offering charitable medical treatment.
  Over the past century, the Visiting Nurse Service has enriched the 
lives of countless Wisconsinites. As America's health care practices 
have evolved and developed during the last hundred years, visiting 
nurses have continued to provide a dependable service, acting as a 
valuable constant in an ever-changing system. The enduring legacy 
speaks to the Visiting Nurse Service's remarkable ability to provide 
effective, professional health care and to adapt to a growing society. 
The Visiting Nurse Service has demonstrated a genuine commitment to 
addressing the specific, individual needs of its patients, and an 
impressive ability to respond to the needs of its community.
  For their commitment to the people of Wisconsin and to the enrichment 
of their community through improved medical care, I congratulate the 
Visiting Nurse Service. The 100th anniversary of the organization's 
inception marks a truly extraordinary, well-deserved milestone.
  Thank you, Madam Speaker.

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