[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 147 (Tuesday, October 4, 2011)]
[House]
[Page H6520]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         PENNSYLVANIA HOSPITALS

  (Mr. PITTS asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. PITTS. Mr. Speaker, I would like to welcome members of the 
Hospital and Health System Association of Pennsylvania to Washington 
today.
  Hospitals are an essential piece of Pennsylvania's economy. Annually, 
the total economic benefit for our State is $2.7 billion a year.
  More than 16,000 Pennsylvanians are employed by hospitals, and they 
are paid an average salary of more than $52,000 a year. In my home 
district, Lancaster General Hospital is now the largest employer. 
Doctors, nurses, and other hospital workers are contributing to our 
economy and saving lives. They're working hard to come up with new ways 
to save lives, new methods to improve our health, and ways to reduce 
the cost of care.
  Working in a hospital is not easy. Doctors, nurses, and 
administrators help individuals and families who are hurting and who 
are struggling with illness and disease. And they work long hours 
performing difficult tasks.
  We thank our hospital professionals for their service; and as 
chairman of the Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee, I will always 
listen to their voice as Congress works to improve our health care 
system.

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