June 4, 2020 - Issue: Vol. 166, No. 104 — Daily Edition116th Congress (2019 - 2020) - 2nd Session
HONORING DR. TAMMY TEREL TAYLOR; Congressional Record Vol. 166, No. 104
(Extensions of Remarks - June 04, 2020)
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[Extensions of Remarks] [Pages E517-E518] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov] HONORING DR. TAMMY TEREL TAYLOR ______ HON. BENNIE G. THOMPSON of mississippi in the house of representatives Thursday, June 4, 2020 Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Dr. Tammy Terel Taylor. Dr. Tammy Terel Taylor was born to the late NR Taylor and Alberta Smith-Taylor. She is the third youngest of fourteen siblings. She entered the world during very troubling and uncertain times. Dr. Martin Luther King had just been assassinated a few months before her arrival and Senator Robert Kennedy assassinated on the exact same day she was born. She believes her passion for social freedom and equality to all humankind started in utero. Her parents instilled into her and her other siblings the importance of the Golden Rule, ``Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.'' She grew up in a traditional family structure where her father was the sole provider while her mother took care of home. Dr. Taylor was raised up on the family's farm and refers to her family as the ``Black Walton's'' and often says ``Although money was not plentiful her family had an abundance of love and fortitude when faced with adversity''. Dr. Taylor's family truly understood what it meant to live off the land. Her father farmed their land for several years and later pursued a construction career when farming alone was not enough to provide for his family. Dr. Taylor credits her perseverance and strong work ethics to her late father and her undeniable faith and endurance to her mother. Dr. Taylor was born and grew up in Sardis, MS. She attended and graduated from North Panola High School in 1987. She attended Northwest Community College following high school and later transferred to the University of Mississippi majoring in Sociology with a minor in Psychology; she graduated in August of 1993. After graduating from the University of MS, Dr. Taylor begin her nursing career at Northwest Community College (NWCC) in Senatobia, MS. NWCC had the reputation of producing some of the best registered nurses (RNs) and if you successfully completed their [[Page E518]] very rigorous nursing program you were well prepared for the challenges ahead. Dr. Taylor started her nursing career at Baptist Memorial Hospital (BMH) in Oxford, MS and worked at this facility for 7 years as the Charge Nurse. While working at BMH full-time, she traveled once a week to Alcorn State University (ASU) nursing campus for the next 2 years. She earned her Master of Science as a Nurse Educator graduating with highest distinction and inducted into the Sigma Theta Tau National Honor Society of Nursing. She accepted an Assistant Professor position in their Associate Degree Nursing at ASU. Dr. Taylor possessed not only a passion for learning but immensely enjoyed teaching and sharing her knowledge and clinical experience. While teaching full-time at ASU, Dr. Taylor earned her Post Master's as a Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP). This was a very difficult time in her life because her sister and best friend, Renetha, was diagnosed with a terminal cancer and lost her battle on October 6, 2002. In January of 2004 a unique opportunity arose and Dr. Taylor was invited to join a team of dynamic African American women with a diverse background in the nursing profession to start the first Associate Degree Nursing Program at Coahoma Community College in Clarksdale, MS. Dr. Taylor and other faculty referred to themselves as the ``Dream Team'' and was determined to create one of the best nursing programs for those aspiring to become registered nurses in the state of MS. Although this dream was short-lived, her dynamic team laid the groundwork and this RN program is thriving today. Dr. Taylor has dedicated years of service into almost all areas of nursing from the hospital setting to academia to correctional setting just to name a few. On March of 2009, Dr. Taylor accepted a position in the MS Delta at a private Cardiology practice. This in many ways for her was surreal because now she would be providing care to patients with heart disease, a disease that abruptly ended her own father's life at the age of forty-six. She was eager to accept this challenge because this would give her the opportunity to help others combat heart disease and save lives, something she was not able to do for her very own father. Dr. Taylor knew this had to be fate, a higher power orchestrating this only-for-her opportunity. On January 2010, Dr. Taylor pursued her highest level of education in her profession. While working full-time as a Cardiology Nurse Practitioner, she began her doctoral degree at the University of Alabama Capstone College of Graduate Nursing. Her scholarly project explored the precursors of coronary heart disease among women of color in the MS Delta. She graduated with a 4.0 GPA and again inducted into the Sigma Theta Tau National Honor Society for Nursing, the Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi and the Golden Key International Honor Society. Dr. Taylor earned her Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) and her Hooding Ceremony was on the former President Barack Obama's birthday August 4, the year 2012. Dr. Taylor still practices in the MS Delta specializing in heart disease and managing other chronic diseases such as hypertension, diabetes, hyperlipidemia, etc. She is an advocate for change and currently serves as the Lead Volunteer in the state of MS for the National Patient Advocate Foundation (NPAF) out of Washington, DC. Dr. Taylor has attended the last three Patient Congress in DC to be the change agent and voice for her patients. Dr. Taylor was selected by the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) and National Institute of Health (NIH) to serve as a stakeholder reviewer for new funding opportunity: Testing Multi-Level Interventions to Improve Blood Pressure Control in Minority Racial/Ethnic, Low Socioeconomic Status, and/or Rural Populations. Dr. Taylor is an entrepreneur and recently started on own business Day by Day Health and Wellness to be the change she wishes to see in the world. Her passion for healthcare runs deep but she sees the bigger picture and that is focusing more on preventive care versus sick care. Dr. Taylor currently serves as a Community Advisory Board member for Panola County for the Risk Underlying Rural Areas Longitudinal Study (RURAL). She is an active member of the Mississippi Nurses Association. She is an active member of the distinguished ladies of the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Incorporated, Upsilon Iota Omega Chapter. She is also an active member of the NAACP Panola County Branch. And lastly and more importantly, she is the doting aunt to her nieces and nephews and the loving wife to her soulmate, Mr. Whittington Bufford, Jr. Madam Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing Dr. Tammy Terel Taylor for her dedication to serving her community and this great state. ____________________