Political Quotes

“I support today H.R. 624, the Organ Donation Improvement Act of 2001, introduced by my colleague, Congressman Bilirakis of Florida. This bill will support payment of travel and subsistence expenses incurred by individuals making living donations of their organs, raise public awareness of the importance of organ and tissue donation in our country, and help families understand and respect the wishes of family members who desire to be individual organ donors. Although organ and tissue transplantation is not a common procedure in my district of Guam as it is in larger metropolitan areas of the country, the need is still great as heart disease and diabetes are among the leading causes of death on the island. In fact, heart disease ranks as the number one killer, while diabetes ranks very close to the top and affects Chamorros at 5 times the national average. The impact of higher costs and greater distances between Guam and the nearest major metropolitan hospital in Honolulu, approximately 3,500 miles or 7 hours by plane, is a vital concern when it comes to health care for U.S. citizens on Guam. Some of Guam's patients are medically evacuated to larger metropolitan health care centers in Honolulu and Los Angeles for these procedures. Other times, the organ and tissue donations are transported to Guam for transplantation. So, the access to organ and tissue donation is a critical component of whether a patient lives or dies.”