Political Quotes

“I thank the Senator from Maryland. I will now take a moment in this continuing effort to recognize examples of the kind of people who serve our government--oftentimes for not much recognition, a lot less pay and, candidly, some disdain from people on both sides of the aisle. Honoring Alfonso Batres Mr. President, I am pleased to honor Dr. Alfonso Batres, who is the chief readjustment counseling officer at the Veterans Health Administration. He has direct oversight of 300 vet centers, 50 mobile vet centers, and over 1,900 vet center staff providing readjustment service to war zone veterans and their families across the United States. He has worked extensively to ensure vet centers--which are small storefront operations located throughout the country--are accessible to as many people as possible. His efforts led to nearly 200,000 veterans and their families to visit vet centers a total of 1.2 million times in 2011 alone. Dr. Batres has also expanded the scope of coverage for vet centers and worked to improve the quality of the services offered to veterans. For example, he provided family bereavement service and the Combat Call Center, which allows veterans to talk to other combat veterans about readjustment issues they may be experiencing. Dr. Batres' dedication to providing quality veteran-centric care has led to praise throughout the health care community. According to Lawrence Deyton, a former Veterans Affairs colleague: Dr.…”