[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 80 (Monday, June 1, 2009)]
[Senate]
[Page S5905]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        TRIBUTE TO DR. TOM DEAN

 Mr. JOHNSON. Madam President, today I rise to recognize Dr. 
Tom Dean of Wessington Springs, SD, who has been named the National 
Rural Health Association's 2009 Practitioner of the Year and wish to 
congratulate him on this well-deserved honor.
  Dr. Dean has spent the majority of his 30 years in practice as a 
family physician in Wessington Springs, SD, and has served as a member 
of the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission since 2007.
  After completing his medical education and training out of the State, 
Dr. Dean returned to his native Wessington Springs, SD, as a National 
Health Service Corps physician. Dr. Dean dedicated his professional 
career to delivering health care to his neighbors in rural South 
Dakota. He is well known in his community for the personal attention he 
gives to his patients and for his understanding of the value of the 
patient-doctor relationship.
  Having spent most of his career helping the residents of Wessington 
Springs stay healthy, Dr. Dean has come to understand the particular 
challenges of rural health care delivery and the impact of health 
policies on rural America. Dr. Dean is greatly involved with the 
National Rural Health Association, an organization whose mission is to 
improve the health and well-being of rural Americans and to provide 
leadership on rural health issues.
  In addition to his practice and MedPAC work, Dr. Dean is chief of 
staff at Avera Weskota Memorial Medical Center, and serves on the board 
of directors of the Bush Foundation Medical Fellowship and the South 
Dakota Academy of Family Physicians. He is a past president of the 
National Rural Health Association, recipient of numerous awards and 
honors, and his research is published in many medical journals.
  Through his practice and research, Dr. Dean has demonstrated his 
commitment to improving the quality of care provided to the one-fifth 
of Americans who live in rural areas.
  I applaud Dr. Dean's commitment to providing quality health care to 
his patients. His contribution to shaping health care policy has added 
a valuable and powerful voice for both rural health care providers and 
patients.

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