[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 5]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 7003-7004]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




HONORING MERCY HEALTH SYSTEMS FOR RECEIPT OF THE 2007 MALCOLM BALDRIDGE 
                         NATIONAL QUALITY AWARD

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. DONALD A. MANZULLO

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, April 24, 2008

  Mr. MANZULLO. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Mercy Health 
System for receiving the highly prestigious Malcolm Baldrige Award 
yesterday at a special White House ceremony with the President. This 
award was created by Congress in 1987 in honor of former Commerce 
Secretary Malcolm Baldrige who had a passion for instilling quality and 
excellence in U.S. products and services. The award recognizes those in 
the private sector that help improve quality and productivity. It 
honors U.S. companies and non-profits for organizational innovation and 
performance excellence.
  Mercy Health System started 18 years ago as a stand-alone hospital 
and transformed into a vertically integrated health system with 63 
facilities serving 24 communities throughout southern Wisconsin and 
northern Illinois. Mercy now sees over 1 million patients annually, and 
employs 3,856 partners, 285 of whom are employed physicians. Mercy has 
added nearly $1.1 billion in industry economic sales, which has created 
an additional indirect

[[Page 7004]]

1,200 jobs in their service area. In the 16th District of Illinois, 
Mercy has a 77-bed acute-care hospital in Harvard, Illinois, along with 
17 health care clinics in McHenry County, Illinois.
  It is obvious that Mercy Health System did not reach these 
achievements by resting on its laurels. They have met the challenge of 
growth by developing a holistic approach to quality and a commitment to 
organizational excellence. Their actions back up their Four Pillars of 
Excellence: Quality, Service, Partnering, and Cost. I am impressed by 
their servant-leadership model as exemplified by Javon Bea, President 
and CEO of Mercy Health System.
  Madam Speaker, I am proud to represent the employees and the patients 
of the Mercy Health System. They richly deserve to share in the high 
honor of the Malcolm Baldrige Award.

                          ____________________