[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 45 (Wednesday, March 14, 2018)]
[House]
[Pages H1545-H1546]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       EDINA GIRLS HOCKEY CHAMPS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Minnesota (Mr. Paulsen) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. PAULSEN. Mr. Speaker, I want to congratulate the Edina High 
School girls hockey team for winning the State hockey championship, 
their second consecutive championship they have won in a row.
  The bar was set high for the girls from Edina after last year's 
championship win, but they proved to be up to the challenge. Impressive 
wins over Brainerd/Little Falls and Eden Prairie were a prelude to a 
showdown in the finals with the Centennial Cougars, who, in December, 
defeated Edina in one of only two losses they suffered all season.
  There is no doubt the game was tense, and the teams entered the third 
period tied at 1. It was there in the third that the Hornets snuck one 
past Centennial's defense. Edina never looked back, holding a 2 to 1 
lead until time expired.
  Mr. Speaker, the hard work and determination of these student 
athletes is impressive. Congratulations again to the players, the 
coaches, the fans, and the parents on winning the State championship. 
The entire community is proud of their effort.


                    Congratulations, Mercy Hospital

  Mr. PAULSEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize Mercy Hospital in Coon 
Rapids for being honored with the 2018 Distinguished Hospital Award for 
Clinical Excellence from Healthgrades.
  Healthgrades measures hospitals across the country and awards this 
honor only to hospitals that achieve outstanding patient outcomes. 
Patients treated in these facilities achieve better clinical results 
than 95 percent of hospitals across the country, and that means that 
more of Mercy's patients make it home to their families healthy and 
free of complications.
  In addition to the Distinguished Hospital Award, Mercy Hospital also 
earned recognition for its quality critical care, gastrointestinal 
care, and general surgery. Patients who have treatments or surgeries in 
these areas have a lower risk of mortality and also of experiencing a 
complication during their treatment.
  Mr. Speaker, the many doctors and nurses and staff who support Mercy 
Hospital work hard to provide world-class care to their patients, and I 
am really pleased to see them recognized for their dedication and their 
diligence. Patients in our community can be confident that they are 
receiving the highest quality of care.


                        Minnetonka Hockey Champs

  Mr. PAULSEN. Mr. Speaker, I want to congratulate the Minnetonka High 
School boys hockey team on winning the State championship title, their 
first State championship in program history.
  Minnetonka claimed their title with an impressive 5 to 2 victory over 
Duluth East in front of 18,000 fans in the Xcel Energy Center. Duluth 
East was on the board first with a goal early in the first period, but 
the Skippers came back to tie the game, scored a second goal in short 
order, and never trailed for the remainder of the game.
  Mr. Speaker, the road to the championship is not easy, and these 
student athletes also had to balance their time in the classroom with 
their sports and training schedule.
  Mr. Speaker, I congratulate Coach Sean Goldsworthy for bringing the 
team to a State championship in his inaugural season as head coach, and 
to all of the players, families, and friends of the Minnetonka High 
School boys hockey team.


                           Precision Medicine

  Mr. PAULSEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise to ask my colleagues to support the 
Increasing Access to Precision Medicine Act, legislation that I am 
coauthoring with my colleague Congressman Swalwell.
  Precision medicine is care that is tailored to a specific patient's 
genetics, environment, and lifestyle, an emerging field that is showing 
tremendous promise. It gives providers a better ability to diagnose and 
treat genetic disorders like cancer, and it helps identify individuals 
at risk of disease.
  Precision medicine also allows providers to reduce healthcare costs 
and improve outcomes for their patients

[[Page H1546]]

through better testing and analysis, but today, many of these tests are 
not covered by insurance providers.
  Our bill will have the Department of Health and Human Services and 
the National Academy of Medicine study the effects and cost savings of 
precision medicine and offer suggestions for ways to cover the costs of 
genetic and genomic tests for Medicaid beneficiaries.
  Mr. Speaker, the Increasing Access to Precision Medicine Act will 
increase the quality of care while finding ways to lower costs for 
patients.

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