[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 147 (Wednesday, September 28, 2016)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1390-E1391]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            CONGRATULATING ST. JOHN MACOMB-OAKLAND HOSPITAL

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. SANDER M. LEVIN

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                     Wednesday, September 28, 2016

  Mr. LEVIN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate St. John Macomb-
Oakland Hospital in Warren as it celebrates its 50th anniversary this 
year.
  In 1955, the greater Warren Chamber of Commerce and others recognized 
a need for quality health care and so began the effort to build a 
hospital in the south end of Macomb

[[Page E1391]]

County. The city of Warren purchased the land and an ambitious 
community fund drive led to the groundbreaking of a new 202-bed 
hospital, South Macomb Hospital which first opened its doors to 
patients on March 1, 1966.
  As the city and region saw growth, so did South Macomb Hospital. In 
1974, South Macomb Hospital opened the west tower and over the next 
several years continued to add additional floors to the east wing. By 
1987, the hospital changed its name to Macomb Hospital Center in 
recognition of its wider geographic outreach and expansion of services.
  In 1997, the Macomb Hospital Center joined the St. John Health System 
and became St. John Macomb Hospital. The hospital continued to grow and 
gave residents of southeast Michigan access to quality health care at a 
state of the art facility. St. John Macomb Hospital provided patients 
with comprehensive prevention, primary care, and advanced treatment 
programs through the additions to their surgery center, OR, ICU, Webber 
Cancer Center and Cardiac Intervention Center.
  And in 2007, St. John Macomb joined with St. John Oakland to create 
the current St. John Macomb-Oakland Hospital. The two campuses in 
Madison Heights and Warren are now home to over 1,200 physicians and 
195 residents, 3,436 nurses and associates, 600 volunteers, all 
faithfully caring for the patients who walk through the door.
  I've had the pleasure of seeing firsthand the growth of St. John 
Macomb-Oakland Hospital and have enjoyed many opportunities to meet 
with hospital administrators, doctors, nurses, and patients to discuss 
critical health care issues. We've discussed challenges such as the 
effects of sequestration on the hospitals, and the impact of proposed 
cuts to Medicare. And we have discussed the importance of the 
Affordable Care Act on patients' health. I've also had the opportunity 
to see the many medical advances made at St. John Macomb-Oakland. I 
toured the Hip & Knee Replacement Center, an orthopedic program for 
joint replacement, that has been designated a Blue Distinction Center 
by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan.
  I look forward to continuing to work with St. John Macomb-Oakland 
Hospital as it remains committed to addressing the needs of the 
community it serves.

                          ____________________