[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 14]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 19894]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



[[Page 19894]]


                          EXTENSIONS OF REMARKS

  BLUE CROSS BLUE SHIELD OF SOUTH CAROLINA CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE ROSA 
       CLARK FREE MEDICAL CLINIC IN OCONEE COUNTY, SOUTH CAROLINA

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. J. GRESHAM BARRETT

                           of south carolina

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, July 19, 2007

  Mr. BARRETT of South Carolina. Madam Speaker, I rise today to thank 
Blue Cross Blue Shield (BCBS) of South Carolina for their continued 
support of the Rosa Clark Free Medical Clinic in Oconee County, South 
Carolina.
  For more than 50 years, BCBS of South Carolina has worked to increase 
access to quality health care for all South Carolina residents with the 
hope of providing a higher quality of life to individuals and families 
across the state. The BCBS of South Carolina has shown leadership in 
attempting to tackle the problem of preventative health care for the 
uninsured. Their work is a good example of how the private sector, and 
not the Federal Government, is better equipped to find innovative 
solutions to the challenges facing our Nation.
  In addition to serving nearly 1 million customers and employing 
12,000 South Carolinians, BCBS of South Carolina has also awarded 
millions of dollars in grants to local schools and medical facilities. 
These philanthropic efforts facilitated the hiring of health care 
professionals, furthering health care education, and ensuring South 
Carolinians have access to affordable quality health care.
  One example of this giving exists in my home district, the Third 
District of South Carolina. In 2006, BCBS of South Carolina contributed 
$100,000 to the Rosa Clark Free Medical Clinic in Oconee County, which 
helps provide health care to low-income residents who have no private 
medical insurance and are ineligible for government insurance programs. 
In addition, this year they are contributing an additional $34,040 to 
the facility as a measure of support for the clinic's ongoing mission 
of serving those in Oconee County.
  I ask my colleagues in the 110th Congress to join me in applauding 
BCBS of South Carolina for being an active partner with the local 
community and for their ongoing efforts to help reduce overall health 
care costs for my constituents and our State. I also want to thank 
those at the Rosa Clark Free Medical Clinic in my home county for all 
they do to improve the lives of others on a daily basis.

                          ____________________