[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 203 (Wednesday, December 13, 2017)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1694]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    HONORING GILLETTE CHILDREN'S SPECIALTY HEALTHCARE ON ITS 120TH 
                              ANNIVERSARY

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. BETTY McCOLLUM

                              of minnesota

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, December 13, 2017

  Ms. McCOLLUM. Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize Gillette Children's 
Specialty Healthcare of Saint Paul, Minnesota on its 120th anniversary 
of providing world class, compassionate care for children and their 
families.
  Before the turn of the 20th Century, two pioneering leaders, Jessie 
Haskins and Dr. Arthur Gillette, recognized the acute need to provide a 
place where children with disabilities could receive state-of-the-art 
care that was tailor-made to fit their needs. At their urging, in 1897 
the Minnesota legislature created what would later be named Gillette 
Children's Hospital, the first such institution in the country to focus 
exclusively on treating children with disabilities. Today, not far from 
its first location on the shores of Lake Phalen, Gillette Children's 
Specialty Healthcare is celebrating 120 years of outstanding service to 
the public and groundbreaking treatment of children in our community 
and from around the globe.
  Gillette Children's serves an incredibly important calling in our 
state and country. By staying focused on what a child can do, rather 
than what they cannot, Gillette Children's helps to make the difference 
in how a child will recover and grow after receiving care. Caring for 
children and families from all across the United States and around the 
world, Gillette Children's has improved the lives of countless children 
and their families since day one.
  It is often said, that Gillette Children's has soul. This is because 
it not just a hospital, but a special place that connects entire 
families. By providing lifelong care to individuals who were first 
treated there as children and now are adults, Gillette Children's 
creates deep and meaningful bonds between the children, staff and 
volunteers. This unique practice is one of many reasons why Gillette 
Children's stands out as an extraordinary example of excellence in care 
and community stewardship.
  As medical technology has improved, so too has Gillette Children's 
capacity to treat young patients who experience some of the most 
complex, traumatic and rare conditions. Home to the James R. Gage 
Center for Gait and Motion Analysis, the hospital is one of only seven 
such accredited centers in the country that helps to improve mobility 
and walking among children who have walking and movement disorders.
  Since its founding in 1897, staff devotion to compassionate and 
supportive care for children undergoing treatment and recovery has 
remained steadfast. Today, each child's emotional well-being remains at 
the core of Gillette Children's approach to medical care. Mr. Speaker, 
please join me in honoring the 120th anniversary of Gillette Children's 
Specialty Healthcare for all that it does to improve the lives of 
children in Minnesota and beyond.

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