[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 4]
[House]
[Page 5866]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




     HONORING THE RETIREMENT OF DR. PHIL SMITH OF NEBRASKA MEDICINE

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Nebraska (Mr. Ashford) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. ASHFORD. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor of the retirement of 
Dr. Phil Smith of Nebraska Medicine at the University of Nebraska 
Medical Center.
  Over 35 years ago, Dr. Smith established the Nebraska Infection 
Control Network to educate healthcare professionals regarding infection 
control in nursing homes and hospitals.
  Dr. Smith is a pioneer in the field of infectious disease, and his 
perseverance and dedication led to the establishment of the very 
critical biocontainment unit at Nebraska Medicine in 2005. Commissioned 
by the Centers for Disease Control, the unit was at ground zero in the 
fight against Ebola, providing Ebola training to more than 30 of the 
country's top hospitals while successfully treating several Ebola 
patients. Dr. Rick Sacra, who contracted the disease in West Africa, 
credits the Omaha unit with saving his life.
  Recently, Dr. Smith codeveloped the Center for Preparedness 
Education, a coalition between the University of Nebraska Medical 
Center and Creighton University Medical Center.
  It is very difficult to sum up this career that he has had. What is 
critical, though, is that the Ebola problem and crisis is not going 
away.
  The University of Nebraska Medical Center, the community that I come 
from, Omaha, Nebraska, and the entire State of Nebraska are committed 
to fighting Ebola. It will continue to do so by developing an even more 
significant biocontainment center, developing teaching regimens, and 
developing research regimens at the University of Nebraska Medical 
Center to fight Ebola and other infectious diseases.
  It is difficult to sum up the career that Dr. Smith has had, but I 
will quote this. He says: ``Patient care has been part of my life. It's 
a noble profession, and nothing beats the gratification of making a 
diagnosis and helping a patient.''
  Nothing is more critical than the treatment of the Ebola crisis at 
the University of Nebraska. Saving lives, creating an atmosphere for 
further research, and creating a facility for training healthcare 
professionals from around the world is the mission that the University 
of Nebraska has taken up.

                              {time}  1015

  Dr. Smith's contributions to Nebraska and our Nation are 
immeasurable, and we are grateful for his service.
  Interestingly enough, the University of Nebraska biocontainment unit 
is now in the capable hands of Dr. Angie Hewitt, who is the daughter of 
one of our colleagues, Representative Gene Green of Texas. Dr. Hewitt 
will continue the work that Dr. Smith has begun and will continue to 
enlarge and engage the world in the fight against infectious disease.

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