[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 112 (Wednesday, July 28, 2010)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1453-E1454]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




CONGRATULATING THE PATIENT ADVOCATE FOUNDATION ON THE OPENING OF THEIR 
                 NEW HEADQUARTERS IN HAMPTON, VIRGINIA

                                 ______
                                 

                     HON. ROBERT C. ``BOBBY'' SCOTT

                              of virginia

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, July 28, 2010

  Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Madam Speaker, I take great pride in the fact 
that Virginia is home to the Patient Advocate Foundation and that the 
Nation's most vulnerable citizens have such a great group of people 
working diligently on their behalf. I cannot mention health care in 
Virginia or the Patient Advocate Foundation without telling you how 
proud I am to know and have worked with its founder, Nancy Davenport-
Ennis. Not only is she an incredible force for health care in Virginia 
and the Nation, she is also a constituent and a friend.
  Nancy's efforts embody the struggle of her friend and mentor, Cheryl 
Grinnel. Cheryl's battle with cancer and her frustration with the 
insurance industry inspires Nancy and all of us to do what we can to 
correct the egregious context in which a patient has to operate in 
trying to obtain the level of medical care needed to address a serious 
health condition. Drawing on that inspiration, Nancy and her husband, 
John Ennis, founded the Patient Advocate Foundation. Nancy and John 
have worked tirelessly to get laws on the books in Virginia, and she is 
now at the forefront of the effort to close the health disparities gap 
and

[[Page E1454]]

secure more funding for research and clinical trials.
  Since 1996, the Patient Advocate Foundation has advocated for 
patients who are working through the complexities of a serious illness 
while navigating through health insurance red tape, selecting the right 
treatment options for them and their family, while dealing with 
possible financial problems that arise due to the chosen method of 
treatment and addressing care giver stress. The Foundation gives hope 
to many patients and their families on a daily basis. Its number one 
goal is to get patients the necessary treatment after they are 
diagnosed with cancer or other life-threatening diseases. Through the 
Virginia Cares for the Uninsured program, VCUP, the Patient Advocate 
Foundation provides assistance to individuals who have been diagnosed 
with a chronic illness but do not have health insurance to pay for 
treatment or cannot afford treatment. The goal of the Foundation is to 
connect these individuals with doctors and facilities that will donate 
treatment services or accept reduced fees while ensuring the patient 
gets all necessary treatment. The advocacy efforts and community 
connections of Nancy and John, the executive board of directors, staff 
and volunteers at the Patient Advocate Foundation are often critical in 
making this happen.
  Madam Speaker, I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate 
Nancy Davenport-Ennis, president and CEO, the executive board of 
directors, the staff and volunteers of the Patient Advocate Foundation 
on the opening of the Foundation's new headquarters in Hampton, 
Virginia. The Patient Advocate Foundation's executive board of 
directors includes directors from Virginia as well as national 
directors including Admiral Deborah Parham Hopson, appointed to serve 
this year on the Federal Coordinating Council. Three national non-
profit patient advocacy organizations are represented on the executive 
board of directors by Dr. Lovell Jones, co-founder of the Intercultural 
Cancer Council; Dr. Alan Balch of the Preventive Health Partnership, a 
collaborative of the American Heart Association, American Diabetes 
Association and the American Cancer Society; and Venus Gines, executive 
director and founder of the Dia de la Mujer Latina, Inc. The 
Foundation's support is partially derived from national non-profit 
organizations in the United States including the American Cancer 
Society, Lance Armstrong Livestrong, the Leukemia Lymphoma Society and 
the Susan G. Komen Foundation. Support over the years has also come 
from the Centers for Disease Control, the federal appropriations 
process, the Commonwealth of Virginia and by the Foundation's annual 
fundraiser in Hampton Roads, where it receives strong support from the 
business community.

  Madam Speaker, with the assistance of 180 full-time employees in 
their national headquarters in Hampton Roads, a corporate foundation 
office in San Diego, California, and with satellite locations in Iowa, 
Florida, North Carolina, New York and Nevada, the Foundation 
successfully closed 55,364 cases of patients diagnosed with chronic, 
debilitating and/or life-threatening conditions just last year. The 
Foundation provides services in both English and Spanish with special 
national outreach programs to underserved populations, specifically, 
the African American community and the Hispanic and Latino communities. 
Additionally, the Foundation serves the Asian population and Pacific 
Islanders.
  Madam Speaker, access to quality, affordable health care is critical 
to the well being of our country, today and in the future. While we 
have accomplished a tremendous feat by passing the health care reform 
bill this year, we still have much more work to do in Congress and on 
Main Street U.S.A. I believe the work that the Foundation does is key 
to fixing our health care system not only in Virginia, but nationwide. 
It is imperative that we have organizations like the Patient Advocate 
Foundation to assist the chronically ill through the health care system 
by helping them get insurance coverage, medical assistance and 
medication.
  Again, I commend the Foundation for all of the work that it has done 
for the citizens of the 3rd district of Virginia and wish it continued 
success in its new home.

                          ____________________