[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 113 (Friday, July 24, 2009)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1983-E1984]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          EARMARK DECLARATION

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. STEVE KING

                                of iowa

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, July 24, 2009

  Mr. KING of Iowa. Madam Speaker, pursuant to the Republican 
Leadership standards on earmarks, I am submitting the following 
information regarding earmarks I received as part of H.R. 3293, 
Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and 
Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2010.
  Requesting Member: Congressman Steve King
  Bill Number H.R. 3293, Departments of Labor, Health and Human 
Services, and Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2010.
  Account: Department of Education, Higher Education
  Amount: $100,000
  Legal Name of Requesting Entity: Briar Cliff University
  Address of Requesting Entity: 3303 Rebecca Street, Sioux City, IA 
51104
  Description of Request: The requested funds will be used to help fund 
the Nursing and Health Education Improvement Project at Briar Cliff 
University. Since 1930, Briar Cliff University has provided superior 
healthcare education to students, which has positively affected the 
quality of life for the citizens of the Siouxland region. Many 
healthcare professionals in the region were educated at Briar Cliff 
University. In keeping with this legacy, Briar Cliff University is 
inaugurating a new center for gerontology during 2009. In support of 
this program and the nursing and

[[Page E1984]]

healthcare programs of the university, this project will provide state-
of-the-art nursing simulation equipment, science laboratory equipment, 
and instructional technology (including distance learning technology) 
to enhance access and academic quality for students. Providing $200,075 
to assist in this critical project will help ensure the quality of 
education for the healthcare graduates of the university and prepare 
well-qualified professionals in fields that serve seniors.
  Requesting Member: Congressman Steve King
  Bill Number H.R. 3293, Departments of Labor, Health and Human 
Services, and Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2010.
  Account: Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease 
Control and Prevention
  Amount: $350,000
  Legal Name of Requesting Entity: Visiting Nurses Association
  Address of Requesting Entity: 300 West Broadway, Council Bluffs, IA 
51503-
  Description of Request: The requested funds will be used to purchase 
home health monitors and to train nurses on best practices protocols 
for the management of chronic illnesses in seniors in the Council 
Bluffs area through the Visiting Nurses Association's Telehealth 
Program. The program has national and local significance. In Iowa, 
specifically the Council Bluffs area, many senior citizens suffer from 
heart failure, diabetes, and other serious chronic illnesses, 
contributing to millions of Medicare/Medicaid expenditures for costly 
care. The VNA's telehealth program demonstrates the capacity to save 
the Medicare/Medicaid program significant money. VNA estimates that the 
VNA telehealth program saved Medicare and Medicaid $932,500 with 
prevented emergency care and hospitalization costs since 2004.
  2004--Estimated savings $198,620
  2005--Estimated savings of $363,220
  2006--Estimated savings of $370,660
  2007--Estimated savings of $526,840
  Total cost savings for Medicare and Medicaid are estimated to reach 
$1 million over the next 7 years.
  The intended benefits are significant: it will save lives; improve 
the quality of life for chronically ill seniors and their caregivers; 
reduce hospitalizations; and save federal funding and reduce nursing 
costs.
  The project will have direct economic and safety benefits. VNA 
telehealth program is a viable solution to the four most pressing 
concerns in healthcare delivery today including: (1) Skyrocketing 
healthcare costs; (2) Challenging chronic disease management; (3) The 
shortage of nurses; and; (4) Consumer & patient demand for more control 
over health care information and treatment. Research shows that the 
program save lives, improves the quality of life for seniors and their 
families, and it save millions of Medicare and Medicaid dollars.
  Requesting Member: Congressman Steve King
  Bill Number H.R. 3293, Departments of Labor, Health and Human 
Services, and Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2010.
  Account: Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources 
and Services Administration--Health Facilities and Services
  Amount: $150,000
  Legal Name of Requesting Entity: Graceland University
  Address of Requesting Entity: 1 University Place, Lamoni, IA 50140-
  Description of Request: The requested funds will provide Graceland 
University with the resources necessary to establish a nursing patient 
simulation lab to train 80-100 nursing students every year. This lab 
will allow Graceland University to better prepare its 40 to 50 nursing 
graduates every year to enter the field and care for a diverse group of 
patients they may never have had the ability to care for without such 
technologies as simulation. This training will help to address the 
acute nursing shortage that the rural midwest is expected to experience 
in the coming years. Graceland also plans to make the lab accessible to 
other health care training programs in the area, including a school of 
osteopathy, fire departments, hospitals, area vocational health 
programs. This will allow for an even greater leveraging of the federal 
funds invested in Graceland's Nursing simulation lab.
  In addition, Graceland has requested funding to complement the new 
educational opportunities offered through the creation of its Nursing 
Simulation lab with the purchase of two pieces of lab equipment that 
play a key role in medical education and research: A Nuclear Magnetic 
Resonance Spectrometer (the forerunner of the MRI) and a Gas 
Chromatograph / Mass Spectrometer.
  Requesting Member: Congressman Steve King
  Bill Number H.R. 3293, Departments of Labor, Health and Human 
Services, and Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2010.
  Account: Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources 
and Services Administration--Health Facilities and Services
  Amount: $250,000
  Legal Name of Requesting Entity: Iowa Western Community College
  Address of Requesting Entity: 2700 College Road, Council Bluffs, IA 
51502-
  Description of Request: The requested funds will be used to increase 
the number of highly skilled nurses in the state of Iowa through 
continued development of Iowa Western Community College's Nursing 
Center of Excellence. Iowa Western Community College's graduates have 
passed the state nursing certification test on the first attempt, which 
is better than many of the states, as well as the region's, four-year 
institutions. Because Iowa Western Community College currently 
graduates many of the state's top dental assistants, dental hygienists, 
practical nurses, registered nurses, surgical technologists, medical 
assistants and emergency medical technicians, enrollment could be 
greatly increased to meet demand if the college had the necessary 
equipment and expanded faculties. Therefore, Iowa Western Community 
College proposes a new Iowa Western Nursing Center of Excellence, with 
multiple laboratories and high-tech equipment on which to train 
thousands of future nurses within the next decade. The college, 
community and private donors have recently committed at least 
$10,000,000 to the Center's construction. The college now reaches out 
to the Iowa congressional delegation to respectfully request that the 
laboratories be equipped with the finest nurse training technology 
available, which is expected to cost the college $1,560,901.
  The new laboratories and equipment will strongly enhance substantial 
job creation within Iowa, improve access to health care for Iowans and 
expand the creation of a scientifically qualified workforce in the 
medical and health services arena. By greatly enhancing the teaching 
environment, as well as the physical learning space and equipment, Iowa 
Western Community College will alleviate the region's nurse shortage 
and double the number of nurses it trains annually by 2013.

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