[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 2]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 2584-2585]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                         HONORING ELNORA GEORGE

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. GEORGE RADANOVICH

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, February 26, 2008

  Mr. RADANOVICH. Madam Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Elnora 
George upon her retirement from John C. Fremont Healthcare District. 
Mrs. George will be honored at a reception to be held at the Mariposa 
Senior Center in Mariposa, CA, on February 27, 2005.
  Mrs. George began her career with the John C. Fremont Healthcare 
District in 1998 as the interim Chief Executive Officer and Chief 
Financial Officer. The district was facing financial difficulties when 
Mrs. George started. The district was facing substantial debt problems 
that were affecting the operations and livelihood of the district. That 
was before Mrs. George started with the company and began to make 
changes.
  Mrs. George began her tenure by negotiating payment plans on existing 
debt, renegotiating purchase plans with various suppliers, and she 
found a way to complete a remodeling project that was already in the 
works. She applied for and was awarded grants to assist in purchasing 
new equipment. With this additional funding the district was able to 
complete the renovation of, and expand, the emergency department. This 
was just the beginning of the expansion.
  John C. Freemont Healthcare District, with the guidance of Mrs. 
George, has been able to expand their services across the board. They 
are currently contracted with Mariposa County to provide medical 
services to the County Adult Detention Facility. A joint effort between 
the district and the County Health Department has made it possible for 
the establishment of a County Medical Services Program through a 
MediCal Wellness Grant to provide psychiatry services to the poor and 
underserved in the county. The surgery department has been reopened for 
outpatient

[[Page 2585]]

surgeries and procedures. New imaging services have been added along 
with the most up-to-date technologies including CT, ultrasound, and MRI 
equipment. Mrs. George was able to achieve accreditation as a Critical 
Access Hospital and had the area designated as a Healthcare Physician 
Shortage Area. This accreditation and designation have allowed the 
district to expand the education department to include community 
classes and a nursing assistant program.
  More recently, under Mrs. George's leadership, a Private Duty 
department was created. This department provides nursing, homemaking 
and handyman services. Telemedicine is now in use for physician 
consultations in the clinics and for in-home units for personal health 
monitoring. Finally, the Northside Clinic in Greeley Hill was opened 
for family practice care.
  Madam Speaker, I rise today to commend and congratulate the 
accomplishments of Elnora George upon her retirement from John C. 
Fremont Healthcare District, I invite my colleagues to join me in 
wishing Mrs. George many years of continued success.

                          ____________________