[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 136 (Friday, July 31, 2020)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E719]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    CELEBRATING THE 100TH ANNIVERSARY OF PIH HEALTH DOWNEY HOSPITAL

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. LUCILLE ROYBAL-ALLARD

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, July 31, 2020

  Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize PIH 
Health Downey Hospital on its upcoming 100th anniversary. On September 
14, 2020, the hospital will proudly celebrate and reflect on the 100 
years of service and care that its facilities and its staff have 
provided. Through the years, the hospital has been a cornerstone of the 
Downey community, caring for generations of local residents.
  From its beginnings as Virginia Hospital in 1920, with six beds and 
two doctors in rooms on the second floor of a former hotel on what is 
now Downey Avenue, this hospital's history has been eventful and full 
of advances. Within two years of its opening, an explosion in the city 
made the hospital's value clear and showed the need for larger 
facilities. Two years later, a new 15-bed hospital opened on East 5th 
Street.
  In the 1930s, a group of five physicians purchased the hospital and 
renamed it Downey Community Hospital (DCH). Growth before and after 
World War II added operating rooms, modern X-ray equipment, maternity 
and obstetrics wards, and an emergency department with round-the-clock 
care. By 1956, the same year the city of Downey became incorporated, 
DCH reorganized as a nonprofit hospital with 49 beds.
  In the mid-1960s, construction began on a new 152-bed facility at the 
current location on Brookshire Avenue. The day after this facility 
opened in 1969, eight surgeries were performed. Within a week, the 
hospital was full.
  Over the subsequent decades, DCH continued to grow its facilities, 
resources, and services to meet the health care needs of the growing 
community. In 1999, Downey Community Hospital became Downey Regional 
Medical Center (DRMC), a total health care system that included a 199-
bed hospital and DRMC Insurance Services. Downey Regional Medical Plaza 
opened in 2003.
  In 2013, a Management Services Agreement signed between DRMC and PIH 
Health created an opportunity for greater collaboration between the two 
mission-based nonprofit organizations. Downey Regional Medical Center, 
with the approval of the California Attorney General's office, became 
part of the PIH Health family as PIH Health Hospital--Downey on October 
1, 2013. The hospital was renamed PIH Health Downey Hospital in 2019. 
This new partnership has been crucial to meeting Southern Californians' 
expanding health care needs.
  Over the last century, PIH Health Downey Hospital has changed and 
evolved, but it has always been driven by a mission to provide the best 
care for its patients and our communities and making enhancements and 
updates to achieve this goal. It is now the second hospital of a vastly 
growing health system that services more than three million people.
  As PIH Health Downey Hospital looks to the future, the hospital and 
its staff remain committed to honoring a legacy of healing and hope. By 
prioritizing the needs of its patients and dedicating itself to meeting 
their needs and expectations for generations to come, the hospital will 
continue to have a positive impact in the community for the next 100 
years and beyond.
  Madam Speaker, I ask my colleagues to please join me in thanking and 
congratulating PIH Health Downey Hospital, and its more than 5,100 
compassionate and valued staff, on the hospital's celebration of 100 
years providing high-quality health care, and contributing to the 
health and well-being of our communities in an ethical, safe, and 
fiscally prudent manner.