[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 24 (Thursday, February 7, 2019)]
[House]
[Pages H1397-H1398]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        RECOGNIZING PAULA MASSEY

  (Mr. COX of California asked and was given permission to address the 
House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. COX of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor of Black 
History Month. This month, as we pay tribute

[[Page H1398]]

to the pioneers, the trailblazers, and the leaders who have helped bend 
and force the moral arc of our Nation closer to that more perfect 
Union, I rise to recognize my constituent, Paula Massey of Hanford, 
California.
  Paula is the founder of Women with Visions Unlimited, a nonprofit 
organization that works with youth in literacy and summer school 
programs to improve the academic attainment of children in the Central 
Valley.
  Through her organization, Paula raises scholarships for high school 
seniors; organizes numerous events to empower African-American women; 
and focuses on bringing awareness to valley fever, an illness deep in 
and dear to her heart.
  Paula lost her son to valley fever in 2017 and quickly realized there 
was a lack of knowledge about the disease, not only from the community, 
but from the physicians treating their patients.
  Thanks to the advocacy of Paula and many others, in 2018, California 
Governor Brown signed a bill requiring the California Department of 
Public Health to create outreach and awareness to educate healthcare 
providers and physicians in the public about the symptoms and treatment 
of valley fever.
  As Paula put it: ``Awareness is the key. In the Central Valley, we 
are an agriculture community with many open fields where the dust and 
dirt blow in the air. Unless there is awareness, many more people will 
contract this disease and not know until it is too late.''
  Mr. Speaker, I am proud to represent Paula in the 21st Congressional 
District.

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