[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 6]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 8070]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




   TRIBUTE TO ELIZABETH (LISA) JOYCE FREEMAN ON THE OCCASION OF HER 
 RETIREMENT AS DIRECTOR OF THE VETERANS AFFAIRS PALO ALTO HEALTH CARE 
                                 SYSTEM

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. SAM FARR

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, June 7, 2016

  Mr. FARR. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate the hard work and 
dedication of Lisa Freeman who retires today after many years of 
service to our nation's veterans.
  For the last five years Lisa Freeman served as the Director of the 
Veterans Health Care System in Palo Alto, one of the largest, busiest 
veterans health centers in our country. She did the job with 
enthusiasm, efficiency and compassion. As director she was responsible 
for overseeing the complex needs of thousands of veterans, 
administering an annual budget of more than $1 billion, a capital 
budget of $2.67 billion, and organizing upwards of 7,000 staff and 
volunteers. She was so expert in doing her job that when the sad news 
of mismanagement at the veterans system in Arizona became public, it 
was Lisa Freeman that the Secretary of the VA tapped to make 
corrections in reforming the Arizona shortfalls. In the end, the entire 
VA health care system learned from her competence and management 
prowess.
  But I best know Lisa Freeman from the yeoman's work she did to help 
create the first from-the-ground-up joint DOD-VA health clinic in my 
district.
  For years the military community--veterans, active and retired 
military and their families--all knew options for health care were 
limited on the Central Coast in general and on the Monterey Peninsula, 
where there are numerous military installations, in particular. Under 
the leadership of the late Maj. Gen. William ``Bill'' Gourley, slowly a 
plan took shape to create a clinic that would serve the dual purposes 
of our active and retired military servicemen as well as our veterans. 
Lisa Freeman became an integral part of this effort and took over 
leadership of the effort as time went along, helping to coordinate the 
many federal sub-agencies necessary to make the dream of this clinic a 
reality.
  I am happy to say the ribbon cutting for that clinic will be this 
October, in no short measure due to the perseverance of Lisa Freeman.
  Mr. Speaker, Lisa Freeman will be missed by all of us who interact 
with the Palo Alto Veterans Health Care System. I am especially 
grateful to her for all she's done for the veterans in my district and 
across all of California. I commend her to you and to our colleagues in 
the House and hope you will all wish her well as she leaves government 
service for a well-deserved retirement.

                          ____________________