[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 147 (2001), Part 9]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 12193]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



   A TRIBUTE TO SISTER SHARON BECKER, A HEALTH CARE COMMUNITY LEADER

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                            HON. JERRY LEWIS

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, June 27, 2001

  Mr. LEWIS of California. Mr. Speaker, I would like today to 
congratulate Sister Sharon Becker of St. Mary Medical Center in Apple 
Valley, California, who has been elected to the leadership council of 
the Sisters of St. Joseph of Orange. In that position, she will be one 
of five Sisters who are responsible for giving direction to this health 
care community.
  Since she joined St. Mary Medical Center in 1993, Sister Sharon's 
vision and leadership has helped make the hospital one of the most 
highly-regarded in the High Desert and recognized throughout San 
Bernardino County for its quality of care. Her dedication to serving 
the poor and disadvantaged has made St. Mary's a leader in services to 
the needy in the area. She has been forceful in convincing other 
community leaders to also ensure that a safety net remains in place for 
the truly needy.
  While in Apple Valley, Sister Sharon developed a program for at-risk 
pregnant women that is now a full-fledged outreach center. She opened a 
High Desert office for Catholic Charities, making its disaster relief 
and services to the poor available for the first time. She established 
a Food Resource Center that provides a range of counseling services for 
families receiving government food assistance. She started an annual 
``Share the Warmth'' drive to acquire shoes and coats for needy 
children. And she started an annual Thanksgiving food drive for needy 
families. She was one of the original members of the San Bernardino 
County Children and Families Commission.
  As a member of the leadership council, Sister Sharon will help direct 
the ministries of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Orange. Through the St. 
Joseph Health Care System, the council oversees the operation of 15 
acute health care facilities, as well as an array of clinics, home-
health-care services and hospices in California, Texas and Arizona. The 
sisters have been ministering to the sick since 1912 in California, and 
their hospitals served 143,000 inpatients and 2.3 million outpatients 
in 2000.
  Mr. Speaker, the patients who receive top-notch care at St. Mary's 
Medical Center will enthusiastically endorse Sister Sharon as a good 
choice to help run the ministries health care system. We will miss her 
direct leadership in the High Desert, but have no doubt that she will 
ensure that the entire system improves over her five-year term. Please 
join me in congratulating her and wishing her well in this important 
new role.

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