[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 127 (Wednesday, September 19, 2012)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1552-E1553]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 IN HONOR OF ARCHCARE AT TERENCE CARDINAL COOKE HEALTH CARE CENTER ON 
   THE OCCASION OF THE 4TH ANNUAL ``STEPPING UP IN FAITH FOR HIV AND 
                      AIDS'' COMMUNITY EVENTS WEEK

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. CAROLYN B. MALONEY

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                     Wednesday, September 19, 2012

  Mrs. MALONEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise to pay special tribute to ArchCare 
at Terence Cardinal Cooke Health Care Center, a faith-based, multi-
specialty nursing facility in East Harlem, which has been serving the 
community since 1978. During the 4th Annual ``Stepping Up in Faith for 
HIV and AIDS'' Community Events Week, the Health Care Center is 
sponsoring ``A Sacred NYC HIV & AIDS Conversation'' among faith-based 
organizations, community-based organizations, Faith in Action 
Advocates, and the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. The 
discussion will focus on the theme ``Turning the Tide Together--as we 
move forward with HIV and AIDS Prevention and Care in our Faith and 
Secular Partnership.''
  In 1989, ArchCare at Terence Cardinal Cooke Health Care Center 
created the first long term care facility in New York State to provide 
comprehensive residential health care services to people living with 
AIDS and HIV. In their 156-bed unit, residents have access to a 
continuum of medical services, including dentists, dietitians, 
occupational and physical therapists, and social workers. At all stages 
of care, residents and their families are encouraged to participate in 
case conferences to discuss treatment plans. The Discrete Unit provides 
treatment with the hope that residents will be able to return to the 
community and live independently.
  According to United Nations estimates, there are more than 33 million 
people living with HIV in the world. In 2011 alone, some 2.7 million 
people became newly infected with the virus, and an estimated 2 million 
people died from AIDS. In the United States, New York remains an 
epicenter of the disease, with the five boroughs alone accounting for 
15.5% of the entire AIDS caseload in the United States, meaning that 
our city has more persons living with AIDS than the entire state of 
California.
  ArchCare and the Terence Cardinal Cooke Health Care Center have long 
fought on the front lines of the fight against AIDS and HIV, taking 
action to ensure that their patients are provided with access to vital 
healthcare services, and afforded protection of their basic human 
rights without fear of reprisal or discrimination. Not only does 
ArchCare provide quality, comprehensive care, but it also offers an 
environment of peace, tranquility and community.
  The Terence Cardinal Cooke Health Care Center is named in honor of 
New York's former Archbishop, and its mission is driven by Terence 
Cardinal Cooke's words: ``The `gift of life', God's special gift, is no 
less beautiful when it is accompanied by illness or weakness, hunger or 
poverty, mental or physical handicaps, loneliness or old age.''
  Mr. Speaker, I ask that my colleagues join me in paying tribute to 
ArchCare and Terence Cardinal Cooke Health Center's years of commitment 
to the fight against HIV and AIDS through exceptional care for all 
patients and vital education events. In so doing, we honor the 
dedication to compassionate service of the staff at Terence Cardinal 
Cooke, and hope that they serve as an inspiration to health care 
providers across the country.

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