[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 12]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 17148-17149]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




   IN HONOR OF UNITED HEALTH CENTERS OF THE SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY, INC.

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. JIM COSTA

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, July 22, 2005

  Mr. COSTA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate United Health 
Centers of the San Joaquin Valley, Inc., on the opening of their new 
Kerman Health Center in Kerman, California.
  United Health Centers of the San Joaquin Valley has been a dedicated 
leader in bringing quality medical care and services to underserved 
rural residents. In the effort to complete its mission, United Health 
Centers has brought to the forefront many public issues related to 
unattended healthcare concerns in the community.
  Through the numerous clinics located in the heart of rural 
California, this organization offers a variety of services including 
family medicine, dental, x-ray, pharmacy and laboratory. United Health 
Centers has also adopted a preventative agenda and taken the initiative 
to implement family support programs such as prenatal care, nutrition, 
Women Infant and Children, health education, family planning and 
immunization.
  The new Kerman facility is the latest addition to seven already 
existing health centers in Fresno and Tulare Counties. The last three 
decades have chronicled the growth of United Health Centers into Huron, 
Earlimart, Mendota, Kerman, Sanger, Parlier and Orange Cove. The two-
story Kerman operation will house seven dental stations, ten 
examination rooms and a full-service pharmacy and lab.

[[Page 17149]]

  United Health Center's employees, directors and organizers have 
touched the lives of numerous economically disadvantaged individuals 
who are so often overlooked by existing healthcare organizations. This 
dedication ceremony marks an opportunity to welcome improvements in the 
availability of healthcare and also provides incentive to look toward 
the future for innovative and novel means of making adequate medical 
care accessible to all communities--specifically rural communities.

                          ____________________