[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 80 (Tuesday, April 28, 2020)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E404-E405]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




       HONORING IOWA'S HEALTH CARE WORKERS AS IOWANS OF THE WEEK

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. CYNTHIA AXNE

                                of iowa

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, April 28, 2020

  Mrs. AXNE. Madam Speaker, each week, I honor an Iowan who has done 
something outstanding that deserves to be recognized. I started my 
`Iowan Of The Week' because I want to honor our unsung heroes, our 
everyday Iowans who leave a positive impact on their community not for 
reward, but because that is who they are. I've found parents, teachers, 
and farmers to celebrate each week.
  This week, I ask the House of Representatives to join me in honoring 
Iowans a little differently. I ask you to join me in honoring all our 
health care workers. Our doctors, our nurses, our PAs, our RNs, our 
medical residents, our hospital administration staff and so many more 
have gone into work each day, working tirelessly as this outbreak of 
COVID-19 has spread across this country. They are working extra shifts 
and additional hours, leaving their families at home. They know they 
must work to contain this outbreak while taking extra precautions to 
keep themselves and their families safe.
  As schools, small businesses, restaurants, and more close down to 
minimize the spread, our health care workers know that they will never 
be shut down. They are our first and last lines of defense against this 
outbreak, and I know they will see us through it. I've spoken with many 
in the health care field this week, and I've heard how they are being 
asked to cover longer shifts, to conserve medical supplies, and to care 
for and comfort patients. At a time when many Americans are working 
from home and engaging in social distancing,

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our health care workers are doing even more with less.
  We must remember that no one is born a superhero. Our health care 
workers are ordinary people called upon to do extraordinary things. The 
work they are doing reminds me of President Roosevelt's quote, which 
goes ``Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the assessment 
that something else is more important than fear.'' Our health care 
workforce is putting the health and wellbeing of their communities 
first.
  Madam Speaker, Iowans are humble and we rarely brag or boast, so 
please allow me to boast on their behalf. Our health care workers 
across Iowa are among the best in the nation, and they are at work 
protecting the health of our communities. When I speak with our health 
care workers, they tell me they are ``just doing their job,'' but that 
is exactly what makes them special.
  I ask the House to join me in honoring Iowa's health care workers as 
my Iowans of the Week. I couldn't be more proud of these men and women 
for their selfless service during this time.

                          ____________________