[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E601]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  RECOGNIZING THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE BRUCE W. CARTER VA MEDICAL 
                                 CENTER

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. THEODORE E. DEUTCH

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                          Tuesday, May 8, 2018

  Mr. DEUTCH. Mr. Speaker, I rise today along with my colleagues, 
Representative Alcee Hastings, Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz 
and Representative Frederica Wilson, to recognize 50 years of service 
to our Veterans in South Florida. The Miami VA Medical Center, renamed 
the Bruce W. Carter VA Medical Center in 2008, held its ribbon cutting 
on May 5, 1968. Originally a 630,000 square foot facility, the facility 
has nearly doubled in size to care for more than 57,000 Veterans per 
year in Miami-Dade, Broward, and Monroe Counties.
  The Miami VA Healthcare System is an accredited comprehensive medical 
provider, providing general medical, surgical, inpatient and outpatient 
mental health services. Recognized as a Center of Excellence in Spinal 
Cord Injury Research and Substance Abuse Treatment, it also houses an 
AIDS/HIV center, a prosthetic treatment center, spinal cord injury 
rehabilitative center, chest pain center, and Geriatric Research, 
Education, and Clinical Center (GRECC). Additionally, the Miami VA 
Medical Center was home to the first nursing home in the VA System.
  Mr. Speaker, as a parent facility, the Bruce W. Carter VA Medical 
Center supports 8 VA clinics from Key West to Deerfield Beach. These 
include two major satellite Outpatient Clinics, five Community Based 
Outpatient Clinics, and four Readjustment Counseling Centers, or Vet 
Centers. These Miami VA Healthcare System facilities serve our Veterans 
through their more than 750,000 visits each year.
  We join together to recognize the Miami VA Healthcare System and its 
continued service on behalf of our Veterans. We support the Miami VA 
Healthcare System in its mission to honor America's Veterans by 
providing exceptional health care that improves their health and 
wellness.

                          ____________________