[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 8 (Tuesday, January 14, 2020)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E34]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 RECOGNIZING THE 35TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE SOUTHERN ILLINOIS HEALTHCARE 
                               FOUNDATION

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. JOHN SHIMKUS

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, January 14, 2020

  Mr. SHIMKUS. Madam Speaker, I rise to recognize Southern Illinois 
Healthcare Foundation on its thirty-fifth anniversary.
  Southern Illinois Healthcare Foundation, or simply SIHF as its known 
in the area, had its start in 1984 when a group of community leaders 
recognized the need to attract physicians to the Metro-East of the St. 
Louis Metropolitan area. SIHF opened its first site in Centreville on 
January 7, 1985 with a physician, a nurse, and a director. Today, SIHF 
serves 1,100-plus patients each day with open arms and a dedication to 
providing compassionate, comprehensive and efficient care.
  Community collaboration has been the key to SIHF's success. SIHF has 
fostered a dynamic approach to caring that includes shared staff, 
coordinated services and a joint approach to community problems. To 
that end, SIHF has partnered in collaborative efforts with dozens of 
community, civic, governmental, and various health care groups 
throughout the region. The single focus of these linkages has been to 
improve access, expand coverage, and provide the most efficient and 
effective care possible. The effectiveness of these initiatives has had 
a profound effect on the area.
  Madam Speaker, it is with great pleasure I stand to recognize 
Southern Illinois Healthcare Foundation. SIHF has embraced its role of 
being a leading provider of health care for thirty-five years, and in 
that capacity has benefited thousands, a record of service I am pleased 
to acknowledge today. And with its single-minded focus on providing the 
very best health care to the area, I can confidently predict many more 
years of success for Southern Illinois Healthcare Foundation.

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