Political Quotes

“Mr. President, today Senator Isakson and I are introducing the Children's Hospital GME Support Reauthorization Act of 2011. Since its creation in 1999, this program has provided freestanding children's hospitals with funding to support the training of medical residents. While most hospitals receive support through the Medicare program, freestanding children's hospitals are not eligible for that funding. That is why reauthorizing this program is vital. Prior to the enactment of CHGME, the number of residents in children's hospitals' residency programs had declined over 13 percent. The enactment of CHGME has enabled children's hospitals to reverse this trend and to increase their training by 35 percent. In Pennsylvania, we have three hospitals who participate in this important program. This is a critical investment in our country's medical future and guarantees that children will have continuing access to the care they need across provider settings. Children are not little adults. We must continue to ensure we have the specialized workforce to care for them. Perhaps the benefit of this program is best told in the words of the residents themselves. Gabriela Marein-Efron is a resident at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. She shared this story with us. ``One of the most powerful experiences I've had during my training has been in my primary care continuity clinic. Many of my patients are now almost 3 years old, and I've been taking care of them since they were newborns.…”