[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 11]
[Senate]
[Pages 15875-15876]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                LIEUTENANT COMMANDER ELIZABETH J. FRENCH

 Mr. BURR. Mr. President, the Naval Hospital at Camp Lejeune, 
NC, has selected LCDR Elizabeth J. French to be the hospital's Officer 
of the Year for 2004. She serves as the department head for the 
inpatient obstetrics department at the hospital. U.S. Navy Captain 
Richard C. Welton presented Commander French with a Letter of 
Commendation for her ``dedication to this Command and continual support 
of superb family centered maternal and childcare services in the 
Obstetric Department sets the standard.''
  I am proud of Elizabeth French's outstanding service and I ask 
unanimous consent that Captain Welton's Letter of Commendation be 
printed in the Record.
  There being no objection, the letter was ordered to be printed in the 
Record, as follows:

                         Letter of Commendation

       The Commanding Officer, Naval Hospital Camp Lejeune takes 
     pleasure in commending Lieutenant Commander Elizabeth J. 
     French for service as set forth in the following citation: 
     Upon the occasion of her selection as the Officer of the 
     Year, Calendar Year 2004, Commander French is commended for 
     her dedicated and outstanding performance of duty while 
     serving as the Department Head, Inpatient Obstetrics 
     Department, Naval Hospita1, Marine Corps Base, Camp Lejeune, 
     North Carolina from 1 January 2004 to 31 December 2004. 
     Commander French's dedication to this Command and continual 
     pursuit of superb family centered maternal and childcare 
     services in the Obstetric Department sets the standard. She 
     expertly led 70 military, civilians, and contract personnel 
     in providing quality and safe care for 1,500 births and 4,800 
     outpatient visits. She chaired the Lactation Council and 
     coordinated lactation services. Commander French implemented 
     a lactation consult call schedule to provide 24/7 lactation 
     services for 300 beneficiaries, which reduced infant 
     readmissions for hyperbilirubinemia and dehydration by 80 
     percent. Clinically proficient, Commander French provides 
     daily hands-on care to patients in addition to covering 
     critical staffing shortages during off-duty hours. She 
     coordinated the Bureau of Medicine and Surgery's, Family 
     Centered Care training for more than 40 medical and nursing 
     personnel. Commander French saved the Command $5,000 in 
     Temporary Additional Duty costs when she established a 
     regional testing site for the Maternal Newborn and Inpatient 
     Obstetric Nursing National Certification exam, allowing 10 
     military and civilian nurses to locally obtain certification. 
     She coordinated the $5 Million Labor and Delivery, Recovery, 
     and Postpartum renovation project, continuously interacting 
     with Facilities Department personnel, contractors, news media 
     and multiple hospital departments to ensure the project 
     remained within contractual agreements and maintained patient 
     safety and workload. Commander French's professionalism, 
     initiative, and total devotion to duty reflected great credit 
     upon herself and were in keeping with the highest tradition 
     of

[[Page 15876]]

     the United States Naval Service. On behalf of the entire 
     staff, she is extended the traditional Navy ``Well Done.''

                                            Richard C. Welton,

                                           Captain, Medical Corps,
     United States Navy.

                          ____________________