[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 14]
[Senate]
[Page 19196]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                     THE HEALTH CENTERS OF DELAWARE

  Mr. CARPER. Mr. President, the Senate recently passed S. Res. 31, a 
resolution expressing the sense of the Senate that the week of August 
7, 2005, be designated as ``National Health Center Week.''
  In keeping with this resolution, I rise today to commend the work of 
the Mid-Atlantic Association of Community Health Centers and of all of 
the health centers of Delaware for the role they play in delivering 
quality, affordable health care to the people of Delaware.
  Community health centers are community-run and open to all Americans 
regardless of their ability to pay. Delaware has a number of community 
health centers, including Westside Health in Wilmington and Newark, 
Henrietta Johnson in Wilmington, Delmarva Kent Community Health Center 
in Dover, and La Red Health Center in Sussex County. These centers and 
those across our Nation are extremely valuable, operating in both rural 
and urban medically underserved areas and providing care that might not 
otherwise be available to residents.
  By serving as a point of access for affordable primary and preventive 
care, health centers also help patients stay healthier or, if they are 
ill, allow them to receive treatment earlier. This prevents patients 
from having to seek care in the most expensive setting--the emergency 
room--and therefore can save money for our health system as a whole.
  Again, I wish to commend the health centers of Delaware for their 
dedication. I thank them for the valuable services they provide to all 
Delawareans.

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