[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 156 (Thursday, December 2, 2010)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2054]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               HONORING THE CAREER OF MARGIE FITES SEIGLE

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. ADAM B. SCHIFF

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, December 2, 2010

  Mr. SCHIFF. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize Margie Fites 
Seigle and to celebrate her retirement after 17 years as the visionary 
President & CEO of the California Family Health Council (CFHC), 
headquartered in Los Angeles, California.
  Margie Fites Seigle has long been a peerless advocate for the low-
income and underserved. A champion for women's and civil rights, 
Margie's career in social justice began after she accepted a job with 
Planned Parenthood, an organization dedicated to advocating for and 
ensuring access to important reproductive and sexual health care 
services. For the next 17 years, Margie served as Executive Director of 
two Planned Parenthood affiliates: Allentown, Pennsylvania and Orange/
San Bernardino Counties, California, where she lead an expansion of 
services and geographic outreach.
  But perhaps Margie's most pivotal role has been as the President & 
CEO of the California Family Health Council. CFHC works with over 70 
delegate agencies that provide family planning services in more than 
300 clinics throughout the state of California. More than one million 
Californians receive care in one of these clinics. CFHC also conducts 
contraceptive research; develops culturally and linguistically 
appropriate educational materials; facilitates conferences, seminars, 
and training workshops for clinical staff and community health workers; 
and champions reproductive health and justice issues through coalition 
building and policy advocacy.
  Aside from her leadership roles, Margie has actively promoted 
increased access to health care services for California's women and men 
through strategic alliance building. Margie has served on the boards of 
the Coalition of Orange County Community Clinics; the Family Planning 
Councils of America; the Family Planning Providers Council; the 
Guttmacher Institute; and the National Family Planning & Reproductive 
Health Association.
  Margie has worked hard to promote and preserve California's Medicaid 
waiver for family planning services, FamilyPACT, which provides health 
care to low-income women and men at no cost. Though the waiver provides 
cost-savings to the state of California, it is consistently under 
threat. The FamilyPACT program remains alive today as a direct result 
of the efforts of Margie and other coalition partners who fight to 
maintain it.
  Madam Speaker, I want to recognize Margie Fites Seigle for all of the 
important work she has done to expand access to vital reproductive and 
sexual health care for millions of Americans, and for her many years of 
unwavering dedication to the low-income and underserved.

                          ____________________