[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 140 (Tuesday, September 20, 2011)]
[Senate]
[Page S5771]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         TRIBUTE TO SUE COPINGA

 Mr. LEE. Mr. President, it is my pleasure today to offer my 
sincerest congratulations to an inspirational constituent of mine, Sue 
Copinga. Sue is the recipient of the 2011 LifePoint Hospitals 
companywide Mercy Award. LifePoint's Mercy Award recognizes individuals 
who follow in the footsteps of the company's founding chairman and CEO 
Scott Mercy, who passed away in 2000. Sue works at Castleview Hospital 
in Price, UT and is a patient advocate in the emergency room, while 
working part time as an emergency medical technician. Castleview 
Hospital serves residents of Carbon and Emery Counties. Like so many 
rural hospitals around the country, Castleview is the only hospital for 
miles around, making it a vital resource where citizens of Carbon and 
Emery Counties can get the medical care they need.
  While Sue has a deep history of giving back to others through her job 
and in her personal life, she demonstrated her extraordinary dedication 
to caring for others during one of the worst mine disasters in Utah's 
history. On August 6, 2007, the Crandall Canyon Mine collapsed in the 
middle of the night, trapping six miners underground. Sue did not 
hesitate. Immediately after learning of the tragedy, Sue headed 
straight to the scene to provide whatever assistance was necessary. She 
spent the following days and nights at the site standing ready, eager 
and willing to treat the men we all hoped and prayed would be rescued. 
Then, on August 16, a second collapse brought the walls down around 
rescuers who were working tirelessly to free the trapped miners. The 
second collapse claimed the lives of three men and injured numerous 
others.
  Sue provided emergency care to injured rescuers and miners, despite 
the dangerous conditions. She voluntarily went into the mine that day 
not only to help those who were injured, but also to spare fellow EMTs 
from being put in harm's way. Sue was worried about a coworker with six 
young children and told this fellow EMT to stay behind, noting that her 
own children are grown and raised.
  Sue's commitment to caring for others is also what makes her 
invaluable as a patient advocate in the emergency room of Castleview 
Hospital, where she has worked for 14 years. During her days--and often 
long nights at Castleview--Sue touches countless lives, making a 
positive impact on each patient she encounters. Sue provides care and 
compassion to her patients at a time when they need it most, and has 
come to be known affectionately as ``Grandma Sue'' for the way she 
soothes children, the most vulnerable of her ER patients--children.
  Sue's devotion to helping others is not confined to the hospital's 
walls. She also serves part time as an EMT where she provides patients 
emergency care and transport in critical situations. When Sue isn't 
caring for patients in the emergency room or ambulance, she is 
educating future generations of EMTs. For fifteen years, Sue has given 
back to her community by teaching countless people how to save others' 
lives in times of crisis.
  Sue lives in Elmo, one of Utah's smallest towns. She is the proud 
mother of 5 children, including a Navajo foster daughter, and has 19 
grandchildren. Sue also plays a role in supporting the children of her 
larger community by leading church youth groups and chairing an annual 
``community day'' in her town.
  It gives me great pleasure to know that Sue's caring, selflessness, 
and devotion to her community is being recognized through the LifePoint 
Hospitals Mercy Award.

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