[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 32 (Wednesday, February 29, 2012)]
[Senate]
[Page S1144]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                RECOGNIZING MEDSTAR ST. MARY'S HOSPITAL

 Mr. CARDIN. Mr. President, I wish to recognize the 100th 
anniversary of MedStar St. Mary's Hospital in Leonardtown, MD. When St. 
Mary's Hospital was founded in 1912, it was Leonardtown's first 
community health care center, located in a modest two-story home. The 
surrounding population was small and rural, and the hospital's running 
water was heralded in a local newspaper. The new health care center was 
the first of many institutions that marked the beginning of St. Mary's 
County's transformation into the modern, thriving region it is today.
  As the county has grown and evolved from humble beginnings, so has 
the hospital. Today, St. Mary's is a full-service hospital facility 
which offers state-of-the-art emergency, acute inpatient and outpatient 
care. The emergency room serves over 50,000 patients per year, and St. 
Mary's is leading the way in using cutting-edge medical technology. St. 
Mary's was the first hospital in southern Maryland to achieve full 
certification as a stroke center and won the prestigious Delmarva 
Foundation Excellence Award five times for consistent improvements in 
patient safety and clinical outcomes. The hospital's fully integrated 
electronic medical records system is ranked among the top 5 percent 
nationally.
  St. Mary's is committed to a ``patients first'' philosophy, which is 
evident in consistently high patient satisfaction scores. At St. 
Mary's, treating every patient with respect and compassion is an 
essential part of the healing process. The hospital offers dignity, 
comfort, and support to each and every patient and his or her family.
  In 2009, St. Mary's joined the MedStar Health System. This 
partnership helps St. Mary's meet the expanding medical needs of the 
southern Maryland community and offer the region greater access to 
specialty care. A new name that blends the hospital's history and 
future--MedStar St. Mary's Hospital--has been unveiled to celebrate its 
centennial.
  I ask my colleagues to join me in congratulating MedStar St. Mary's 
Hospital on 100 years of providing outstanding patient-centered care to 
the residents of Leonardtown and the southern Maryland region.

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