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Mr. ROCKEFELLER. Mr. President, I rise today to celebrate the success of one of West Virginia's most successful non-profit health organizations. It gives me great honor to come to the floor today to be able to share with you the remarkable story of West Virginia Health Right, Inc.
West Virginia Heath Right was the brainchild of a group of dedicated volunteers who recognized a desperate need to provide free, quality health care to the homeless, the working poor, the un- and underinsured, de-institutionalized mental health patients, and countless others. Their vision was realized when they opened a small, mission-driven health clinic in Charleston, West Virginia in 1982. From these modest beginnings, West Virginia Health Right, Inc. grew tremendously fast. They soon found that the need in the community was far greater than they had expected and moved from their original location in a soup kitchen in Kanawha County, to a homeless shelter, and finally settled into the third floor of the Charleston Area Medical Center. In 1989, West Virginia Health Right moved to their own clinic building supported by funds from the community. In 1999, West Virginia Health Right again appealed to the community for support and found an overwhelming reception to their needs. They are now housed in a state of the art clinic in Charleston.
Modeling the success of the Charleston clinic, other free clinics began to sprout up in communities throughout the state at the rate of about one every two years. Today, Health Right has eight separate sites across West Virginia, including Charleston, Wheeling, Morgantown, Clarksburg, Huntington, Parkersburg, Bluefield, and Logan, which serve our State's poor and uninsured. Just recently, Health Right announced the opening of a new clinic in Beckley, West Virginia for which I am proud to serve as a board member. They will also be opening new locations in Summersville and Weirton. Remarkably, each of these facilities operates with just a small staff of employees, and relies entirely on the volunteer services of dedicated physicians and nurse practitioners from the area.
West Virginia Health Right, Inc. is a living example that just a few people can make a difference. Eighteen years ago, four doctors and a dozen volunteers set out with a vision to provide health care to those who needed it most. Today, Health Right is a network of more than 500 physicians and 15,000 volunteers serving 45,000 West Virginians each year. With the uninsured in this nation still at staggering levels, it gives me great pleasure to recognize the invaluable work of West Virginia Health Right, Inc., a group that rather than simply talking about a problem, is actually working to fill a vital need in our state.
Congratulations, West Virginia Health Right, for your success. And thank you for your tireless contributions to the state of West Virginia.
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