[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 82 (Wednesday, May 12, 2021)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E508]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 RECOGNIZING THE DIGNITY HEALTH DOMINICAN HOSPITAL AS THE RECIPIENT OF 
             THE 2021 AL SMITH FRIEND OF AGRICULTURE AWARD

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                           HON. JIMMY PANETTA

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, May 12, 2021

  Mr. PANETTA. Madam Speaker, I rise to recognize the Dignity Health 
Dominican Hospital as the recipient of the 2021 Al Smith Friend of 
Agriculture Award. As a strong supporter of local agriculture, the 
Dignity Health Dominican Hospital has been instrumental in the COVID-19 
vaccination efforts for our local farmworkers.
  Dignity Health Dominican Hospital's values include compassion, 
inclusion, integrity, excellence, and collaboration. By leading the 
charge in providing COYID-19 vaccines to farmworkers in Santa Cruz 
County, they have demonstrated the impact and importance of their 
mission in our community.
  Dignity Health Dominican Hospital will celebrate their 80th 
Anniversary later this year. It has always been the Hospital's 
steadfast mission to serve all who come through its doors, regardless 
of ability to pay. When its founders, the Adrian Dominican Sisters, 
arrived in Santa Cruz in 1941, they traveled from Michigan to reopen a 
failed hospital on West Cliff Drive. Even though only one of them was 
an active healthcare worker, they felt driven to provide care for our 
community. In 1988, the hospital joined what was then known as Catholic 
Healthcare West. Their founding tenets of community outreach and 
helping those in need have remained the driving values for the Dignity 
Health Dominican Hospital as it moved into the 21st century.
  Dignity Health Dominican Hospital has evolved to offer the greater 
surrounding community the kind of cutting-edge technology typically 
reserved for large metropolitan areas, earning them the recognition 
they deserve. The 2021 Al Smith Friend of Agriculture Award was awarded 
to the Hospital for their creation of the first large-scale vaccination 
clinic in California that is focused on farmworkers. Additionally, they 
worked with local partners, such as the Santa Cruz County Farm Bureau, 
to develop a formula to ensure equity in vaccine distribution to local 
farmworkers, Their ongoing efforts during vaccine distribution made 
Santa Cruz County a model for prioritizing farmworkers for counties 
throughout the country.
  Madam Speaker, it is my pleasure to recognize the compassion, 
excellence, and community support exemplified by the Dignity Health 
Dominican Hospital, and I ask my distinguished colleagues to join me in 
recognizing their service. I extend my personal appreciation to the 
healthcare workers, administrators, and staff of the Dignity Health 
Dominican Hospital for their service to our community.

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