[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 145 (1999), Part 17]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 25034-25035]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



  VETERANS AFFAIRS MEDICAL CENTER IN GRAND JUNCTION, COLORADO HONORED

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. SCOTT McINNIS

                              of colorado

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, October 12, 1999

  Mr. McINNIS. Mr. Speaker, I would like to take a moment to honor not 
one individual but a team who has dedicated their time, effort, and 
care into making the smallest VA hospital in the Country, the best. The 
employees of the Grand Junction VA hospital have changed health care in 
this country as we know it. Their unparalleled care for the patient has 
won them the Department of Veterans Affairs highest honor.
  The Robert W. Carey Quality Award trophy is given to one facility 
each year to recognize organizational effectiveness and performance 
through quality management. It was the first time that the hospital 
submitted the entry form which was fifty pages long and took five 
months to process. The employees of the Grand Junction VA hospital 
patiently waited to hear back while a Department of Veteran Affairs 
panel reviewed applications. Soon after a panel visit to the hospital 
and a final ranking decision by a panel of outside judges, they were 
chosen for the award.
  The basis for their winning the award are numerous and well founded. 
Among them, their work in the revolutionary, primary-care approach to 
health care that began in 1988. They call it a ``virtual circle of 
care'' in which patients see the same physician, nurse, clerk, and 
social worker each time they visit the hospital. This allows for more 
personalized care

[[Page 25035]]

which pays off on a large scale. Health care providers become familiar 
with the patients they see, therefore providing outstanding, 
personalized service to them. Also recognized was their work on the 
Disabled Veterans Winter Sports Clinic, which brings veterans to 
Crested Butte every weekend.
  In addition to these accolades, Mr. Speaker, I would like to add a 
few final highlights. The administration's attention to the needs of 
the employee is another facet that makes this hospital so exceptional. 
They are constantly looking for ways to improve, including their 
anonymous e-mail system that allows employees to voice any concerns 
they might have or suggest any improvements they see necessary. Their 
volunteer program has also grown tremendously. People are getting 
involved to make a difference and they have.
  It is with this, Mr. Speaker, that I honor this institution, on 
behalf of the people of Western Colorado, for their accomplishments in 
the health care of our nation's veterans and say thank you for their 
care and hard work.

                        TRIBUTE TO FRANK FARRELL

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. JAMES P. McGOVERN

                            of massachusetts

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, October 12, 1999

  Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to one of 
Massachusetts' finest leaders, Frank Farrell. Frank is retiring this 
year after many years as President of the Worcester/Framingham Central 
Labor Council. I know that thousands of working families throughout 
Central Massachusetts join me in thanking Frank Farrell for his years 
of hard work and dedication.
  Since 1955, when he was hired as a quality control inspector at Olson 
Manufacturing in Worcester, Frank Farrell has been a member of the 
United Steelworkers of America. He has very active in his local union 
and rose to its presidency in 1965.
  He has also been active in the Worcester/Framingham Central Labor 
Council, and was elected as its president in 1970--a post he has held 
for the last 20 years. For those 20 years Frank has fought the good 
fight--he has stood shoulder-to-shoulder with the men and women in 
organized labor and their families. He has advocated for better wages, 
better health care, better retirement and better working conditions. 
Central Massachusetts is a better and safer place to work today because 
of the hard work put in by Frank Farrell.
  Again, Mr. Speaker, I want to pay tribute to Frank; his wife Jan; 
their 3 children Frank III, Steven and Lisa; and their two 
grandchildren Bernard and Meressa. I wish them best wishes for a happy 
and healthy retirement. No one deserves it more.

                          ____________________