[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 44 (Friday, March 11, 2022)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E249]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]





HONORING FEDERAL HEALTH WORKERS DEPLOYED TO SPARROW HOSPITAL IN LANSING

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                          HON. ELISSA SLOTKIN

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, March 11, 2022

  Ms. SLOTKIN. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the heroic 
caregivers at Sparrow Hospital in Lansing, Michigan, including the 
Department of Defense medical team which has been providing critical 
assistance as the hospital has grappled with a surge in COVID patients 
over the last few months.
  In early February 2022, as the omicron variant drove case levels to 
new heights, a team of 23 federal medical personnel, including 
physicians, registered nurses, and respiratory therapists, arrived in 
Lansing to provide much-needed help to Sparrow's staff. The team has 
spent the past month providing invaluable aid to the hospital's 
overtaxed Emergency Department, and in other areas of the hospital 
overwhelmed by extraordinarily high patient volumes. This team has 
worked alongside Sparrow's staff with grace, grit, and professionalism, 
and they have been invaluable to the hospital's service to the Greater 
Lansing area. Michigan's healthcare heroes, including the staff at 
Sparrow Hospital, have been on the frontlines of this battle for the 
past two years under the most intense and stressful conditions. But 
their commitment to the safety and health of our community never 
wavered. I've heard stories of caregivers who have held the phone to 
the ear of a dying patient so a family could say goodbye; others who 
have developed special relationships with patient's loved ones; and 
some who have worked with tireless dedication only to break down in 
their cars at the end of the day from what they're living through.
  Sparrow Specialty Hospital leaders even organized a wedding 
ceremony--bringing decorations from home and filling in the wedding 
party--for a COVID patient who realized the shortness of life and 
decided to marry his longtime love as soon as possible. While the 
dedication shown by our health workers is remarkable, so too is the 
emotional and physical strain they've been put under.
  The brave men and women of the military are called to serve their 
country, and we are so grateful to this team for the immense relief 
they have provided in the battle against this invisible enemy. I will 
never forget the cheers and tears I saw firsthand as the team arrived, 
in uniform, marching down Sparrow's hallway. I knew immediately they 
would feel right at home alongside the mission-driven team at Sparrow, 
and that this partnership would yield much-needed hope and relief.
  We are so grateful to all who have cared for and comforted COVID 
patients and their families through two years of unrelenting demands, 
and to this remarkable partnership between the Department of Defense 
medical team and Sparrow Hospital. On behalf of a grateful community 
and nation, it is my great honor to record their remarkable service to 
Mid-Michigan so that their actions may be known to all.

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