[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 3 (Wednesday, January 13, 2010)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E16]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    RECOGNIZING STEPHEN LUCAS, DIRECTOR OF JAMES A. HALEY VETERANS' 
                          HOSPITAL AND CLINICS

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. GUS M. BILIRAKIS

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, January 13, 2010

  Mr. BILIRAKIS. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize Mr. Stephen 
Lucas, the director of the James A. Haley Veterans' Hospital and 
Clinics in Tampa, Florida, who is retiring after a distinguished 37 
years of federal and military service. As the director of Haley 
Veterans' Hospital, Mr. Lucas oversaw one of the largest veterans' 
health care systems in the United States, comprised of the James A. 
Haley Veterans' Hospital and the associated outpatient clinics 
affiliated with the University of South Florida College of Medicine.
  Mr. Lucas, a Navy veteran who served on the USS Iwo Jima and in 
Vietnam, began his VA career in 1974 and since has served at multiple 
VA medical centers across the United States. Mr. Lucas also worked in 
the private sector, including as the senior hospital consultant with 
Sun Health, Inc., as the director of management engineering at the 
Madisonville Regional Health Center in Kentucky, and at the Baton Rouge 
General Hospital in Louisiana.
  During Mr. Lucas's tenure at the James A. Haley Veterans' Hospital, 
he received awards recognizing his significant achievements and 
leadership skills, including the 2009 Robert W. Carey Performance 
Excellence award. Additionally, during his tenure at the Miami VA 
Medical Center and Clinics, the Medical Center received the Secretary 
of Veterans' Affairs Robert W. Carey Performance Excellence Award for 
providing the highest quality of care, as well as the Governor's 
Sterling Award, which recognizes organizations that have achieved 
performance superiority within their establishment.
  I also would like to recognize the contributions of Mr. Lucas's 
family, including his wife Sheri, his daughter Amanda and his two sons, 
Mathew and Thomas. The commitment by Mr. Lucas to the Haley Veterans' 
Hospital meant sacrifices from his family. Those sacrifices are highly 
appreciated by the veterans' community served by the hospital.
  Madam Speaker, Mr. Lucas is a true American hero who should be 
recognized for his outstanding military service, as well as his 
exemplary career. Haley's Veterans' Hospital has truly been blessed to 
have such a worthy and honorable citizen as its director. I wish him 
well on his retirement.

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