[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 88 (Monday, May 22, 2017)]
[House]
[Pages H4395-H4396]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
VICTOR ACT
(Mr. DUNN asked and was given permission to address the House for 1
minute.)
Mr. DUNN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the promise we made to
our veterans and introduce the Veterans Increased Choice for
Transplanted Organs and Recovery Act of 2017, the VICTOR Act.
The VICTOR Act will allow veterans who live more than 100 miles from
one of the Nation's 14 VA transplant centers to receive care at a
local, federally certified facility.
From Florida's Second District, the closest VA facility which
performs heart, lung, and liver transplants is in Nashville, Tennessee.
A veteran in Ocala would have to travel more than 600 miles to receive
a new liver, despite there being seven federally certified centers in
Florida.
As a surgeon, I know that timely organ transplants can make the
difference between life and death, and yet our veterans sit on waiting
lists for organs they may never receive. Government bureaucracy should
not hurt our Nation's veterans when they are in desperate need of care.
The VICTOR Act will give those who fought for our freedom a fighting
chance here at home.
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