[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 146 (2000), Part 14]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 21218-21219]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                IN RECOGNITION OF CONSTITUENT JANE RYAN

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. SHELLEY BERKLEY

                               of nevada

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, October 5, 2000

  Ms. BERKLEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize the great work of my 
constituent, Jane Ryan, RN, MN, CNAA, who is ending her tenure this 
year as President of the American Psychiatric Nurses Association 
(APNA).
  Mr. Speaker, Jane Ryan has dedicated her entire career to the field 
of mental health. For many years, Ms. Ryan focused on training the next 
generation of psychiatric nurses at the University of California at Los 
Angeles (UCLA). As a tribute to her work, former students have been 
known to still talk about Jane's unique ability to bring out the best 
in her pupils. Despite her busy schedule, ever the teacher and mentor, 
Jane still continues to

[[Page 21219]]

keep in touch with a number of her former students and colleagues.
  Mr. Speaker, Jane Ryan has worked tirelessly on the issue of 
seclusion and restraint. Recently, her hard work came to fruition as 
Congress passed language related to seclusion and restraint that 
focuses on patient and staff safety issues. I supported passage of this 
measure and was a co-sponsor of the Patient Freedom from Restraint Act. 
I agree that seclusion and restraint requires our serious attention and 
we must all thank Jane for her leadership in this area.
  During her career, Jane Ryan never lost sight of the larger picture--
she never forgot why she and others entered into the field of 
psychiatric nursing--to help people. With this in mind, she always 
stressed the need to hold a constant dialogue with patients and their 
families, in addition to those in the health care provider community. 
This important theme was made clear when APNA established a Consumer 
Advisory Task Force to continue this important dialogue. This type of 
progressive thinking is a hallmark of Jane's leadership.
  Mr. Speaker, I had the pleasure of meeting Jane a number of times in 
my Washington, D.C. office. In fact, with her numerous visits to my 
office, I was beginning to wonder when she planned to stay in my home 
state of Nevada for more than one week at a time! However, I do know 
that I am scheduled to meet with Jane at least one more time this year 
for what promises to be a very special ceremony in Nevada. I am pleased 
to announce that I was chosen to receive APNA's 2000 Congressional 
Service Award. This is a true honor and I wish to thank the entire 
membership for their consideration.
  Mr. Speaker, we have seen a tremendous amount of progress in the 
field of mental health over the past few years. For example, Dr. David 
Satcher released the first-ever Surgeon General's report on mental 
health, where we were reminded of the need to chip away at the stigma 
that still surrounds mental illness. In 1999, we witnessed the historic 
White House Conference on Mental Health, led by Mrs. Tipper Gore, where 
participants, including Jane Ryan, discussed ways to increase access to 
mental health care. Also, I must mention the efforts of my colleague 
Senator Harry Reid, who has worked tirelessly to draw attention to the 
issue of suicide--a problem affecting far too many families across the 
country and, in particular, those in Nevada. We know, then, much work 
remains. However, we should reflect and be proud of the accomplishments 
that were made in the field of mental health--and look forward to more 
progress.
  Mr. Speaker, we must thank people like Jane Ryan, for the remarkable 
strides we have made. There is no doubt that Ms. Ryan, along with the 
many other members of the American Psychiatric Nurses Association, are 
to be commended for their work. On behalf of my colleagues, and 
citizens across the country, thank you for making a difference in the 
lives of Americans across the country.

                          ____________________