[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 66 (Thursday, May 10, 2012)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E767-E768]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  HONORING COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTER, INC. AS THEY CELEBRATE THEIR 40TH 
                              ANNIVERSARY

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. ROSA L. DeLAURO

                             of connecticut

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 10, 2012

  Ms. DeLAURO. Mr. Speaker, it gives me great pleasure to rise today to 
join all of those gathered in congratulating the Community Health 
Center, Inc. on their 40th anniversary. This is a remarkable milestone 
for this outstanding organization and I am proud to recognize their 
invaluable contributions to our community.
  Health care is a right, not a privilege. It is a simple motto and the 
fundamental basis of the establishment of Community Health Center, Inc. 
Forty years ago, a group of students from Wesleyan University joined 
with community activists in Middletown--drawn together through a shared 
vision for affordable, accessible and responsive health care--to create 
a free clinic to meet the needs of the community. Fueled by idealism 
and a deep belief that patients should be the cornerstone of whatever 
was created, the Community Health Center, Inc. was born.
  Since its inception, CHC has a fixture in Middletown's downtown 
community. What began as a free clinic has grown to provide care for 
130,000 Connecticut residents--ninety percent of whom live at or near 
poverty level. Though its main offices remain in Middletown, CHC has 
expanded to include more than two hundred locations throughout 
Connecticut. In addition to the provision of primary care, CHC has also 
become known for its work in two other areas: research innovation 
through their Weitzman Center as well as training the next generation 
of health professionals through their residency programs. Recognized as 
a national model of care, most recently CHC was named by both the Joint 
Commission and the National Committee for Quality Assurance as a 
Primary Care Medical Home--the first and only health care organization 
in Connecticut, and one of the first in the Nation, to receive such a 
designation.
  President and CEO Mark Masselli has been there from the beginning. As 
a founding member of CHC, Mark has devoted a lifetime of hard work and 
energies to turning the vision of CHC into a reality. His leadership 
has been integral to the success of CHC and I would be remiss if I did 
not extend a special note of congratulations and thanks to Mark for his 
extraordinary work.
  I have had the privilege of working closely with Mark and the team at 
CHC and have often found myself in awe of the quality and quantity of 
service that they provide every day. The staff and administration 
dedicate themselves to providing those most in need with a wide-range 
of patient-centered medical, dental and behavioral health services. In 
fact, as they celebrate their 40th Anniversary, they also mark the 
opening of the newest addition--the Dodd Primary Care Center, a 
revolutionary

[[Page E768]]

new space housing a 21st Century delivery system of primary health 
care. This innovative, and beautiful, new facility will ensure that CHC 
can continue to provide outstanding care to the thousands of residents 
they see every year.
  I could not be more proud to join the Middletown community in 
celebrating this very special anniversary with the Community Health 
Center. Their outstanding dedication and commitment to ensuring that 
everyone--regardless of circumstance--has access to affordable, quality 
health care serves as an example to us all. I am honored to extend my 
heartfelt congratulations and very best wishes to Mark Masselli and the 
entire CHC family on this very special occasion.

                          ____________________