Blue Cross Blue shield Of South Carolina Contributions To The Rosa Clark Free Medical Clinic In Oconee County, South Carolina

Floor Speech

BLUE CROSS BLUE SHIELD OF SOUTH CAROLINA CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE ROSA CLARK FREE MEDICAL CLINIC IN OCONEE COUNTY, SOUTH CAROLINA -- (Extensions of Remarks - July 20, 2007)

* Mr. BARRETT of South Carolina. Madam Speaker, I rise today to thank Blue Cross Blue Shield (BCBS) of South Carolina for their continued support of the Rosa Clark Free Medical Clinic in Oconee County, South Carolina.

* For more than 50 years, BCBS of South Carolina has worked to increase access to quality health care for all South Carolina residents with the hope of providing a higher quality of life to individuals and families across the state. The BCBS of South Carolina has shown leadership in attempting to tackle the problem of preventative health care for the uninsured. Their work is a good example of how the private sector, and not the Federal Government, is better equipped to find innovative solutions to the challenges facing our Nation.

* In addition to serving nearly 1 million customers and employing 12,000 South Carolinians, BCBS of South Carolina has also awarded millions of dollars in grants to local schools and medical facilities. These philanthropic efforts facilitated the hiring of health care professionals, furthering health care education, and ensuring South Carolinians have access to affordable quality health care.

* One example of this giving exists in my home district, the Third District of South Carolina. In 2006, BCBS of South Carolina contributed $100,000 to the Rosa Clark Free Medical Clinic in Oconee County, which helps provide health care to low-income residents who have no private medical insurance and are ineligible for government insurance programs. In addition, this year they are contributing an additional $34,040 to the facility as a measure of support for the clinic's ongoing mission of serving those in Oconee County.

* I ask my colleagues in the 110th Congress to join me in applauding BCBS of South Carolina for being an active partner with the local community and for their ongoing efforts to help reduce overall health care costs for my constituents and our State. I also want to thank those at the Rosa Clark Free Medical Clinic in my home county for all they do to improve the lives of others on a daily basis.

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