[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 150 (2004), Part 18]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 24083]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




      TRIBUTE TO LEXINGTON VETERANS ADMINISTRATION MEDICAL CENTER

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. BEN CHANDLER

                              of kentucky

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, November 17, 2004

  Mr. CHANDLER. Mr. Speaker, I rise here today in honor of Veteran's 
Day; the day our nation sets aside to honor the sacrifice and service 
of the millions of Americans who risked their lives to protect our 
country and promote peace. These brave servicemen and women answered 
the call to defend freedom and serve our country during its time of 
greatest need. Now, during the month of November, we should repay our 
gratitude by honoring our commitment to veterans and their families.
  As we stand here today and pledge to work for veterans throughout the 
nation, I am proud to celebrate a recent victory for the veterans of 
Central Kentucky. Over the last two years, our local veterans fought to 
keep the Leestown Drive facilities of our Lexington Veterans Affairs 
Medical Center open in the face of potential consolidation. Thanks to 
their commitment, the veterans of Central Kentucky will continue to 
benefit from the excellent medical services and the unique beauty of 
this facility.
  The Lexington Veterans Affairs Medical Center is a nationally 
recognized health care center with a number of distinguished awards. 
Most recently, the facility received a $500,000 award for ``Best 
Overall Performance'' among VA hospitals in the MidSouth Healthcare 
Network, and received the first-ever John M. Eisenberg award for 
patient safety co-sponsored by the National Quality Foundation and the 
Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations. I am 
proud that this hospital will continue to serve the community and 
provide our veterans with the quality service they deserve.
  Veterans Day is a time to honor our nation's true patriots for their 
courage and commitment to this country. These men and women have 
protected our families over the years, and now it is our turn to take 
care of them. Let us renew our promise to our veterans and military 
retirees and honor the sacrifices they have made so that we may live 
free. As our troops return home let's treat them with the respect they 
have earned and continue fighting for a guaranteed stream of benefits 
for all veterans.

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