[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 77 (Thursday, April 23, 2020)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E389-E390]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




RECOGNIZING THE SELFLESS AMERICANS WORKING ON THE FRONTLINES TO BATTLE 
                            THE CORONAVIRUS

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. BILL POSEY

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, April 23, 2020

  Mr. POSEY. Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to all the 
brave men and women of this country who are risking their own lives 
every day to help our nation get through this terrible coronavirus 
pandemic. They are our emergency first responders, doctors, nurses, 
grocery store employees, members of the postal service and those who 
work in the shipping and delivery industries. Their continued service 
throughout this crisis means life or death for some patients fighting 
off this disease, and it also means that our families can continue to 
have the food and products we all need to survive.
  Our local newspaper, Florida Today, recently highlighted the efforts 
of fifteen Brevard County nurses as they rushed to aid Americans 
suffering from COVID-19 in the town of Taunton, Massachusetts, a hard-
hit community just south of Boston. These brave nurses, currently on 
staff with Rockledge Regional Medical Center, answered the call for 
help and volunteered to go for two weeks to treat seriously ill COVID-
19 patients. Since being there, they have vowed to stay as long as they 
are needed.
  Madam Speaker, I would like to recognize the selfless acts of nurses 
Jennifer Nelson, Lorraine Blake, Tandy Beck, Allison Salidino, Betty 
``Joanne'' Crespo, Deidra Gansel, Jill Barrett, Amanda Tebault, Lisa 
Colon, Arlene ``Solly'' Salzwedel, Kris Smith, Nora George, Linda 
Fleming Dutton, Kara Ehrhardt and Gena Gillespie. These are real life 
heroes.
  ``When I first walked into ICU, I thought, `Oh, my goodness. What is 
this?' It looked like, to coin a phrase, a war zone,'' Nurse Arlene 
``Solly'' Salzwedel was quoted describing the situation saying in 
Taunton. ``The housekeepers do not come in to clean the rooms at all. 
That's the job of the nursing staff. So not only are you the patients' 
nurse, you're their cleaner. You're their spiritual support system, 
even though they're intubated and heavily sedated.''
  Andy Romine, President of Rockledge Regional Medical Center, said 
originally thirty nurses had volunteered to go to Massachusetts, but 
our own needs in Brevard County required some to stay and care for 
patients in our own community. ``Our organization is very proud of them 
for their willingness to put their safety at risk to care for others--
their courage and selflessness is a source of pride for us,'' said 
Romine. Since then, forty-five other nurses have traveled to Boston to 
treat the surging cases of COVID-19 putting their lives at risk.
  I ask my colleagues in the U.S. House of Representatives to join me 
in saluting these brave nurses, and all of the selfless Americans who 
are risking their lives every day to help the American people overcome 
this serious coronavirus pandemic.

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