[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 152 (Wednesday, October 12, 2011)]
[House]
[Page H6792]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1210
                        PHYSICIAN ASSISTANT WEEK

  (Ms. BASS of California asked and was given permission to address the 
House for 1 minute.)
  Ms. BASS of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize 
National Physician Assistant Week, which is observed annually from 
October 6 through October 12.
  On October 6, 1967, the first PAs graduated from Duke University. 
Today, more than 40 years later, legions of practicing PAs have reached 
the number of over 83,000, and 307 million patients visited PAs last 
year alone. I know firsthand the key role of the PA profession in the 
delivery of care. Before serving in office, I worked for nearly a 
decade as a PA and served as a clinical instructor who trained future 
PAs.
  Created in response to a shortage of primary care physicians, the PA 
profession today is crucial to developing a strong primary care 
workforce. Not only do PAs provide high-quality, cost-effective care in 
virtually all health care settings, but PAs also extend the reach of 
medicine to underserved communities throughout the U.S. With health 
care reform expanding access to 33 million Americans, PAs are needed 
now more than ever.
  Mr. Speaker, as we mark the final day of PA week, I ask my colleagues 
to join me in celebrating the contribution, as well as the promise, of 
the PA profession.

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