[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 36 (Friday, February 24, 2023)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E143]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          RECOGNIZING EMERGENCY MEDICAL TECHNICIAN VERA DEACON

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. BRIAN K. FITZPATRICK

                            of pennsylvania

                    in the house of representatives

                       Friday, February 24, 2023

  Mr. FITZPATRICK. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize an 
outstanding constituent from my district. Vera Deacon, who after 
graduating from the Abington Senior High School studied medical 
sciences at Penn State University and then obtained her license as a 
registered nurse at the Abington Hospital School of Nursing in 1977.
  Vera served the community as an Emergency Department nurse at 
Abington Hospital and then Lehigh Valley Hospital and St. Luke's 
Hospital where she transitioned into the role of a PICC nurse and 
vascular access educator. As a driven patient advocate throughout her 
career, Vera participated in the reviews of PICC line device failures, 
efficacy, and the effects of short and long-term placements. As a CRNI 
and expert in the field, she has published several medical journal 
articles related to the elimination of infections in complex patient 
populations, and the Safe Medical Devices Act and its impact on 
clinical practice.
  Missing the intensely challenging patient care opportunities of the 
hospital Emergency Department, Vera joined the Springtown Volunteer 
Fire Company to provide rescue services to her home community and was 
certified in Firefighter 1 and as a Basic Vehicle Rescue technician. 
After completing an EMT course, she joined Upper Bucks Regional EMS 
where she has consistently volunteered on-duty at its Springfield 
Township station every week and is an invaluable crew member with her 
extensive background in emergency medicine.
  In addition to responding to 911 calls for medical emergencies, she 
now also serves Upper Bucks Regional EMS as the volunteer coordinator 
and the vice president and secretary of the Board of Directors. As if 
this service to the community wasn't enough, she also volunteered to 
review funding applications for the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) in 
Montgomery County and brought that knowledge and experience back to 
benefit her local Fire and EMS community. In 2022, Vera Deacon 
volunteered more than 252.5 hours at Upper Bucks Regional EMS and is 
therefore awarded the President's Silver Volunteer Service Award on 
behalf of our Nation.
  We are incredibly grateful for the positive impact Vera has had 
through her long career of public service, and we wish Vera countless 
blessings into the future.

                          ____________________