[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 5]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 6998]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




   HONORING THE PHILADELPHIA PROGRAM OF VITAS INNOVATIVE HOSPICE CARE

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. JIM GERLACH

                            of pennsylvania

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, April 24, 2008

  Mr. GERLACH. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the outstanding 
community service provided by the volunteers of The Philadelphia 
Program of VITAS Innovative Hospice Care on the occasion of their 
annual volunteer celebration dinner taking place on April 30, 2008. 
This annual event is part of National Volunteer Appreciation Week from 
April 27 to May 3, 2008. National Volunteer Appreciation Week was 
created in 1974 when President Richard Nixon signed an executive order 
to establish the week as an annual celebration of volunteerism.
  VITAS Innovative Hospice Care has been a pioneer and leader in the 
hospice care movement since 1978 and is the nation's largest provider 
of end-of-life care. The Philadelphia Program of VITAS, which started 
in 1993, has four inpatient units and serves the five-county 
Philadelphia area.
  More than sixty Philadelphia-area volunteers perform numerous 
services and serve more than 350 patients a day. The volunteers are 
both young and old and provide a variety of services for the elderly. 
These services range from running errands and placing reassuring phone 
calls, to spending quality time with the elderly. The volunteers serve 
patients in their own homes, in hospitals, and in nursing homes.
  Madam Speaker, I ask that my colleagues join me today in thanking The 
Philadelphia Program of VITAS volunteers for their exemplary service to 
the citizens of Southeastern Pennsylvania. May their work be an 
inspiration to us all.

                          ____________________