[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 5]
[House]
[Pages 7243-7244]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                     CONGRESSIONAL YOUTH SHADOW DAY

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Pennsylvania (Mr. Thompson) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to welcome 
Donald Robinson to Capitol Hill as part of the Congressional Foster 
Youth Shadow Program.
  This program is a part of Foster Care Month across the Nation. This 
recognition was created more than 25 years ago to bring the issue of 
foster care to the forefront, highlighting the importance of permanency 
for every child.

[[Page 7244]]

Having a brother who joined my family through foster care 46 years ago, 
foster care is important to me.
  As for Donald, he entered foster care in Pennsylvania at the age of 
14, experiencing six placements. Despite attending multiple schools, he 
was able to complete his education and enroll in college after aging 
out of foster care.
  I am proud to say that Donald recently graduated with his master's 
degree in exercise science from the University of Texas. He plans to 
create an international sport performance training and consultancy 
business, and would eventually like to open a charter school.
  Mr. Speaker, I am so happy to see someone with Donald's background 
working to give back to our Nation's children. I look forward to 
spending time with him today and to learn more about his story.


                     Recognizing the Retirement of
                             Raymond Graeca

  Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to salute 
Raymond Graeca, who will retire next month as CEO of Penn Highlands 
Healthcare, which includes several hospitals in Pennsylvania's Fifth 
Congressional District, including in DuBois, Brookville, Clearfield, 
and St. Marys.
  Raymond is a native of Erie and graduated with a degree in accounting 
from Gannon University. He is also a veteran and completed a tour of 
duty with the United States Army before earning a master's degree in 
health service administration from Tulane University in New Orleans in 
1973.
  After graduation, Raymond entered the field of health care and did 
not look back. He worked at hospitals in Alabama, Louisiana, and Texas 
before returning to Pennsylvania in 1979 to become president of the 
Corry Memorial Hospital in Corry, Pennsylvania, also located in 
Pennsylvania's Fifth Congressional District.
  Ray came to DuBois in 1990 as president of the DuBois Regional 
Medical Center. He is credited as being part of a group which started 
the Free Medical Clinic of DuBois in 1998, and has served on a number 
of statewide boards, including the Hospital Council of Western 
Pennsylvania, The Hospital & Healthsystem Association of Pennsylvania, 
and the Pennsylvania chapter of the VHA. In 1998, he was named the 
Distinguished Citizen of the Year in DuBois.
  In 2011, he was instrumental in the creation of Penn Highlands 
Healthcare, bringing together hospitals across the DuBois region, 
including the DuBois Regional Medical Center, Clearfield Hospital, 
Brookville Hospital, and later, the Elk Regional Medical Center. The 
system covers eight counties, employs more than 3,600 people, including 
360 physicians.
  Raymond Graeca's retirement caps a more than 40-year career in 
healthcare services and hospital administration. I congratulate him on 
all of his hard work, and wish him the best of luck in retirement.

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