[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 156 (2010), Part 12]
[Senate]
[Page 17265]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                      TRIBUTE TO PHIL E. MATTHEWS

 Mrs. LINCOLN. Mr. President, today I recognize Phil E. 
Matthews for his dedicated years of service at the Arkansas Hospital 
Association. His efforts on behalf of our State's hospitals are to be 
commended, and I thank him for his efforts to maintain high-quality 
hospital care for the citizens of Arkansas.
  Phil has been a part of the Arkansas Hospital Association, known as 
AHA, since 1969 and was named president in 2005. During his tenure, he 
has worked hard to cultivate constructive relationships with State and 
Federal legislators in order to achieve great results for Arkansas. He 
has reinforced the AHA as a trusted partner for Arkansas hospitals and 
other health care providers and entities from all across the State.
  In recent years, the AHA has helped to pass laws on the State level 
that will enhance the health of and health care services for Arkansans, 
including for the development of a statewide trauma care system, 
expansion of health insurance coverage for more than 6,000 additional 
children through ARKids, and public health initiatives that will 
increase seatbelt usage and decrease tobacco use in the State.
  On the Federal level, it has been my pleasure to work closely with 
Phil and the AHA to develop and pass policies to expand health 
insurance coverage to more than 400,000 Arkansans, grow the health care 
workforce in Arkansas, modernize health care delivery and the use of 
health information technologies, and preserve the viability and 
valuable role of Arkansas's community hospitals. Together, we have 
fought back on policies that might have had a negative impact or 
unintended consequence for Arkansas hospitals, providers, and patients, 
and we have worked to advance policies that are best for our great 
State.
  I am extremely proud of Phil's and the AHA's efforts to help Arkansas 
hospitals provide quality care to their patients, provide charity care 
for those in need, serve refugees of gulf coast hurricanes and other 
natural disasters, and play an active role in improving health care 
coverage and quality in Arkansas. I wish Phil all the very best in his 
retirement, and to Bo Ryall, who will serve as his successor as 
president of the AHA.

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