[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 101 (Friday, June 9, 2023)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E538]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      RECOGNIZING DR. ANTHONY CHEN

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. MARILYN STRICKLAND

                             of washington

                    in the house of representatives

                          Friday, June 9, 2023

  Ms. STRICKLAND. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize my friend and 
colleague Dr. Anthony Chen, who will retire at the end of the month as 
the Director of Health at the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department 
after serving Washington's communities with care, competence, and 
compassion for thirty years.
  After graduating from Duke University's School of Medicine and 
completing his residency at the University of Cincinnati, Dr. Chen came 
to Washington in 1993 to serve as a faculty member of the Swedish 
Family Medicine Residency Program before transitioning into his role as 
Director of Health at the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department.
  For fifteen years, Dr. Chen has promoted positive public health 
outcomes in Pierce County. He has elevated the conversation and 
outcomes associated with quality of care, intentionally coordinated 
with community leaders to improve care delivery to all residents, and 
advanced cultural competency in public health and medicine.
  Through the tumult of the COVID-19 pandemic, Dr. Chen worked 
tirelessly to maintain the Department's structure while facing 
opposition from misinformation campaigns, continuing the ethos of care 
in his work that helped set the standard in Washington State. Under Dr. 
Chen's leadership, the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department won the 
VISION 2050 Award in 2022 for their innovative, equity-minded approach 
to integrating health into Pierce County's long-term plans and guidance 
for growth.
  I thank my friend and colleague, Dr. Chen, for his service to the 
Pierce County community and the state of Washington, as well as 
congratulate him on his well-deserved retirement.

                          ____________________