[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 156 (2010), Part 12]
[Senate]
[Page 17262]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                20TH ANNIVERSARY OF HOLY FAMILY HOSPITAL

Mr. BOND. Mr. President, today I wish to recognize the 20-year 
anniversary of the Holy Family Hospital in Bethlehem, Palestine, which 
has long stood as an oasis of hope and peace in the Holy Land. This 
celebration also marks another significant milestone for the Holy 
Family Hospital, the 50,000th baby delivered.
  In 1990 the Order of Malta, responding to the critical need of 
maternal care in the region, opened Holy Family Hospital. Since its 
opening, the hospital has become the premier maternity hospital and 
newborn critical care center of the entire region which includes 
Bethlehem, neighboring towns and villages, four United Nations refugee 
camps, and Bedouin encampments in the Judean Desert.
  The need for Holy Family Hospital has continued to grow over the 
years, with an increase from 1,000 births annually to now over 3,000 
and its outpatient clinics increased from 3,600 consultations a year, 
to over 22,000. The hospital built and maintains the only neonatal 
intensive care unit in the region. Thanks to their presence, the lives 
of 400 premature and low-birth-weight infants are saved every year. In 
addition, 90 midwives have been trained, which accounts for all the 
midwives working in all of the hospitals in the entire West Bank.
  Holy Family Hospital continues to offer the latest in medicine to the 
Bethlehem area, including mammography, laparoscopic surgery, and Echo 
Doppler diagnosis not found anywhere else in the region. Additionally, 
a program of continuing medical education has been instituted which has 
brought renowned medical professionals to the hospital as visiting 
professors.
  As well as providing critical health care, the hospital provides many 
a livelihood. Mr. President, 150 hospital employees are provided steady 
work and a fair wage, many of whom are the sole support of large 
extended families.
  The top-notch care and much-needed jobs in an underserved area make 
the hospital special, but what makes Holy Family truly shine is their 
commitment to bringing peace to the families in the region. From 
facilitating Israeli-Palestinian cooperation in the medical field to 
their care of pregnant mothers and babies regardless of race or 
religion, Holy Family Hospital is a beacon of hope in the West Bank.
  This 20th anniversary celebration and 50,000th baby delivered would 
not be possible without the Holy Family staff and volunteers from 
around the world and for their dedication to the most vulnerable 
Palestinians.
  Over the next 20 years, it is critical that the U.S. continue to 
partner with Holy Family so the hospital can carry forward their 
critical vision for hope and peace.
  Congratulations and thank you for not only saving the lives of 
thousands of babies, but touching the lives of countless more.

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