[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 158 (2012), Part 2]
[Senate]
[Page 2343]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




          RECOGNIZING ARKANSAS CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL CENTENNIAL

 Mr. PRYOR. Mr. President, it is my distinct honor and 
privilege to recognize the work of Arkansas Children's Hospital, ACH, 
on the occasion of its centennial celebration. Founded in 1912, ACH has 
been at the forefront of pediatric medicine in Arkansas and across the 
Nation for the last century. Friends and supporters of ACH will gather 
on March 5, 2012, to celebrate 100 years of ACH history and care to the 
children of Arkansas, and I join with them in congratulating Arkansas 
Children's Hospital on its 100th birthday.
  Designed originally to serve as an orphanage for the underprivileged 
children in Arkansas, the Arkansas Children's Home Society was 
established on March 2, 1912, with a mission to provide and care for 
the neediest children in Arkansas. Dr. Orlando P. Christian became the 
first superintendent of the society and soon laid out a vision to build 
a children's hospital. Kicking off a fundraising campaign for the new 
hospital in 1919, Dr. Christian stirred attendees with a moving speech 
and concluded by asking, ``The question is no longer what shall we do, 
but how and when shall we begin our task?''
  It took only 7 years for this goal to become a reality when the 
hospital opened on March 9, 1926, with only two beds but a fully 
equipped operating room. In the years following, Arkansas Children's 
Home and Hospital, as it was then known, would face various challenges 
and triumphs as it continued to add new facilities and services in 
support of its mission. When Dr. Christian retired in 1933, Mrs. Ruth 
Olive Beall became the new superintendent. Her 27-year tenure brought 
the facility through the difficulties of the Great Depression and World 
War II and saw the institution formally become Arkansas Children's 
Hospital.
  The Burn Center opened in 1953 and continues to be the only center of 
its kind in the State, treating over 2,000 adults and children every 
year. The Heart Center at ACH is one of the premier centers in the 
country. In 2011, doctors at the Heart Center performed an astonishing 
total of 31 heart transplants, bringing new life and hope to dozens of 
children and families. In an effort to expand medical care across the 
State, ACH added a helicopter to its transport services in 1985. Now, 
more than 1,200 children each year are brought safely to ACH through 
the Angel One transport helicopters. This addition had a significant 
impact on the State's infant mortality rate and continues to provide 
children across the State expanded access to the excellent medical care 
at Arkansas Children's Hospital. As they like to say, ``Arkansas 
Children's Hospital and Angel One are dedicated to providing Care, Love 
and Hope . . . at 180 miles per hour.''
  With each passing year, ACH continues to reinvent itself and add 
vital services necessary for the care of its patients. This summer, the 
new South Wing will give ACH its largest expansion to date, with a 
brandnew ER, NICU, Cardiovascular Intensive Care Unit, and multiple new 
clinic spaces. This wing will bring ACH to a total of 370 patient 
rooms. For a facility that started with only two beds, Dr. Christian 
would be proud of the century of progress made at Arkansas Children's 
Hospital.
  Mr. President, when the original orphanage was established in 1912, 
it had a simple mission: to provide and care for the neediest children 
in Arkansas. A century later, Arkansas Children's Hospital continues to 
hold fast to that mission and provide world-class care to every child, 
without regard to the family's ability to pay. I am proud of the work 
ACH and its staff does for the children in Arkansas and across our 
Nation. My State is truly blessed to have such great care, and I am 
excited to see the ways this institution will continue to expand in the 
years to come. I ask my colleagues to join me today in congratulating 
Arkansas Children's Hospital on 100 years of service in Arkansas and in 
wishing ACH another 100 years of success.

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