[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 58 (Thursday, April 22, 2010)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E639]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        TRIBUTE TO DENVER HEALTH

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                           HON. DIANA DeGETTE

                              of colorado

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, April 22, 2010

  Ms. DeGETTE. Madam Speaker, along with Representative Ed Perlmutter, 
I would like to recognize the exceptional endeavors and notable 
undertakings of an extraordinary public hospital system in Denver, 
Colorado. It is fitting and proper that we recognize this outstanding 
institution for its innovation in the health care field and for its 
enduring service to care for the people of our state. It is to commend 
this outstanding and distinguished institution that we rise to honor 
Denver Health on the occasion of its 150th Anniversary.
  Since 1860, Denver Health has been providing essential, quality 
health care services for the metropolitan area. It is astonishing to 
think about what an integral role Denver Health has played over the 
last 150 years. It has been a community institution since Abraham 
Lincoln was elected President; sixteen years before Colorado even 
became a state. Denver Health has been here since the days of duels and 
horse-drawn ambulances; since before the Civil War even began. The 
hospital began in a small log cabin and has transformed into the 
extraordinary institution we know today, serving twenty-five percent of 
Denver residents and one in every three Denver children. Last year 
alone, Denver Health provided approximately $350 million in 
uncompensated care to the uninsured and medically needy.
  The first sentence in Denver Health's mission statement is a 
testament to its commitment to the health of our citizens. It reads: 
``Provide access to the highest quality health care, whether for 
prevention, or acute and chronic diseases regardless of ability to 
pay.'' Serving as the safety-net provider for the community, Denver 
Health faces obstacles year after year as the uninsured population 
continues to increase. Denver Health's pioneering leadership has been 
innovative in developing tools to reduce cost, curb waste, and improve 
quality for our most vulnerable populations.
  In addition to its role as our primary safety-net hospital, Denver 
Health provides a number of other services to the surrounding 
communities and region. Denver Health operates the city's school based 
health centers, Denver's 911 emergency response system, provides 
correctional facility care, and houses the Denver Public Health 
Department. Denver Health also serves the surrounding region by housing 
the regional Rocky Mountain Poison Control Center, Rocky Mountain 
Center for Medical Response and the Rocky Mountain Regional Trauma 
Center. Denver Health is truly a system of integrated care.
  Denver Health's physicians, leadership, and medical professionals 
have received an array of local and national accolades for their 
innovation and commitment to achieving the highest quality of patient 
care. Denver Health leads the way in innovation and improvement in 
quality and efficiency.
  Please join me in commending Denver Health on the occasion of its 
150th Anniversary. It is the vision, innovation, and commitment of 
Denver Health that continually enhances the lives of our citizens and 
builds a better future for Coloradoans and for all Americans.

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