Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, I rise today in recognition of Georgia Miller-McCorkle, who immigrated to the United States in 1980 from Trinidad, West Indies, where as a child she always excelled in school, getting merit cards along with excellent report cards. As a child, she was asked, ``What do you want to be when you grow up?'' Her answer was always, ``I want to be a teacher.''

At first, Ms. McCorkle settled in this country, got married, and raised five children: Sherwin, Vonetta, Fredericka, Tristan, and Robmesh. During that time, she worked at jobs fulfilling the basic home needs and helping to pay the bills, but something was missing.

Subsequently, she attended Brooklyn College, receiving her bachelor of arts, BA, degree in special education and her master's degree in special education from Long Island University. She joined the Department of Education in 1989, where her teaching skills included student-centered instruction, educational technology, parental involvement in student learning, critical thinking, individual learning plans, student motivation strategies, and active and meaningful learning activities.

Georgia Miller-McCorkle has worked with students from kindergarten through 12th grades, teaching science, music, and art, and was dean of students for 6 years. Further, she counseled mild to profoundly mentally challenged young adults, supervising their daily activities and developing long- and short-term goals at a group home for mentally challenged adults for 3 years.

She provides cognitive and motor development skills for babies with developmental delays from birth to 3 years old in the Early Intervention Program and has been doing so for almost 12 years.

This remarkable woman is certified in: LSCI, Life Space Crisis Intervention; TCI, Therapeutic Crisis Intervention; FBA, Functional Behavioral Assessment; CPR, Cardio-Pulmonary Resuscitation; beginning sign language; and first aid.

Madam Speaker, it behooves us to recognize this woman who exhibits such passion for the teaching profession and still teaches the early childhood grades, K-2, enjoying her job to the fullest. She is indeed living out her dream.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in recognizing Teresa Kay-Aba Kennedy, a business and lifestyle expert who holds certifications in yoga, fitness, weight management and offers unique multidisciplinary approaches to an authentic, healthy and successful life. She has a dual B.A. magna cum laude in Sociology and Design from Wellesley College, an MBA from Harvard Business School, and a Ph.D. in World Religions. Born in Ghana, schooled in Australia and Italy, she comes from a family of high achievers. Her parents Janie Sykes-Kennedy and Dr. James Scott Kennedy were international media pioneers. Her great uncle, James Atkins, was a member of President Franklin D. Roosevelt's ``Black Cabinet.''

Nationally recognized as a motivational speaker and leader in wellness and empowerment, Dr. Kennedy is on the faculty of the Institute of Integrative Nutrition and is Chair of the Board and Interim President/CEO of Yoga Alliance--the non-profit organization that sets standards for yoga teaching in the United States and offers support to its registry of over 18,000 yoga teachers and almost 800 yoga studios.

After almost dying from Crohn's Disease ten years ago, she has personal experience with transformation serving as a role model for healthy living. Her mission is to help people from all walks of life live better lives and has worked with a variety of clients from senior executives and entrepreneurs to people with specific ailments, ranging from Asthma, Anorexia, Diabetes, Hypertension, Obesity, Adult ADD and Leukemia.

Dr. Kennedy has a long record of success in both the business and creative worlds consulting and writing case studies on Fortune 500 companies for Harvard Business School, working as a creative consultant for Universal Studios, and spending seven years as an executive at MTV Networks.

Her wellness and empowerment work has been featured in media around the world from CNN, NBC, Martha Steward Living Radio, ARD TV in Germany to The New York Times, Yoga Journal, and O: The Oprah Magazine. Dr. Kennedy is the producer of the Power Living: Mini-Escapes relaxation CD, author of ``40 Days to Power Living: Think Eat and Live on Purpose'', ``The Power Living Pledge: An Affirmation for a Purposeful and Powerful Life'' as well as three case studies published under the Harvard Business School. She has received a number of awards, including The Network Journal's 40 Under Forty Achievement Award.

Madam Speaker, it is an honor to pay tribute to this outstanding woman who has an unparalleled career of leadership, motivation and dedication on behalf of others, Dr. Teresa Kay-Abe Kennedy deserves our profound thanks.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize Sheila Joseph, a native New

Yorker, daughter of Haitian immigrant parents and raised in public housing, Ms. Joseph conducted her undergraduate studies at the University of California at Berkley where she double majored in psychology and legal studies, with a minor in education, earning her Bachelor of Arts degree in just three years. After graduating from Berkley in 1994, Sheila began her legal studies at Georgetown University Law School in Washington, DC. While a student at Georgetown, she worked as a student attorney handling juvenile delinquency cases in the District of Columbia Superior Court.

Upon completing her legal studies in 1997, Ms. Joseph returned to her native New York and spent the next four years working as an attorney for indigent clients, first as a staff attorney with the Neighborhood Defender Service of Harlem, then as a law guardian with The Children's Law Center of New York. Based on her experiences as a law student and lawyer, she became increasingly frustrated by the limitations of the law as an instrument for empowering young people and communities. She determined that the best long term course was to be an educator and have a positive impact on children and impoverished communities.

In 2001, Sheila Joseph applied for, and was accepted into, the New York City Teaching Fellows Program and taught math and science at P.S. 40 in Queens while earning a Master of Science degree in Elementary and Early Childhood Education from Queens College. In September 2004, Ms. Joseph began a one-year residency with Building Excellent Schools, a prestigious and rigorous Boston-based program that trains and supports aspiring charter school founders. She founded the East New York Preparatory Charter School in August 2005.

East New York Prep, ENYP, opened its doors to 100 kindergarten and first grade students in September 2006 to ensure that boys and girls growing up in East New York would have the same opportunity for a good life as children in wealthier communities. ENYP's mission is to address the specific needs and challenges of children in East New York to ensure that students achieve or exceed grade-level mastery of academic content, knowledge and skills.

Madam Speaker, I am pleased to recognize Sheila Joseph and her impressive accomplishments in academia. Her passion and concern for inner-city children's educational needs is noteworthy indeed.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in recognition of Denise Jones who was born and raised in Brooklyn. Ms. Jones' commitment to public service originated from her mother and role model, Rosalie Jones, who showed her the benevolence of charitable kindness to others. Her mother is currently a retired New York City public school teacher who served her community for dedicated thirty-five years.

Denise Jones started her career in human services seventeen years ago working with MRDD at Catholic Charities as a per diem weekend counselor. Even though she held a printing job, she went to work at the Odyssey House as a counselor making half the salary. She remembers saying that the moment she took that job, she knew It was her life's work.

Ms. Jones has worked with the following agencies: Project Return now known as Padilla; FEGS; The Fortune Society; AHRC; PSI Samaritan; The Partnership for the Homeless with the United Way of New York City; Innerforce; CAMBA and Ella Place. Denise has worked with youth at risk for incarceration, substance abuse MICA patients, mentally-challenged and ill, ex-offenders, senior citizens, homeless, people that suffer with HIV and AIDS.

She has been honored in the New York Nonprofit Press May 2007 issue as ``Hero of the Year'' and by the Elliot Tomlin Foundation with the vision award for outstanding community service. Denise Jones has marched on Washington to represent all the people that has died from lack of funding for HIV and AIDS research for a cure. Moreover, she is a certified rapid HIV tester and has completed a WORC program at Columbia University that addresses the delivery of vocational services for consumers with serious mental health conditions.

Denise attends a food and hunger conference to support world food aid once a year and currently serves Community Board #5 as a cabinet member. Dedicating her life to addressing social problems and assisting in reconstructing individual lives is Denise Jones' life's work and even now, she is working as a project coordinator on a SPICE pilot program to reduce disparities in childbirth through education and support services.

Madam Speaker, it is incumbent upon this body to acknowledge Denise Jones' achievements and her spirit of volunteerism on behalf of the betterment of our community.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in recognition of Brooklyn's Deputy Borough President, Yvonne Graham who has been a pioneer in the area of public health for over 20 years. As Brooklyn's Deputy Borough President, Ms. Graham oversees health care policy and all human services for the borough president. Her vision was critical to the 2005 founding of Brooklyn's first Center on Health Disparities, which works to reduce cardiovascular disease, HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, infant mortality, asthma, and diabetes among minority communities. This center is part of an innovative partnership with the SUNY Downstate Medical Center and the Arthur Ashe Institute for Urban Health.

In an effort to increase the number of women in leadership positions in government, business, and industry. Ms. Graham spearheaded the Women's Leadership Initiative, a partnership between academic institutions, government agencies, community-based organizations, and the private sector that brings women together for dialogue and networking.

Born and raised in Jamaica, West Indies, she moved to New York in 1979 working as a registered nurse in the emergency room of Brookdale Hospital. She holds a bachelor's degree in health administration and community health from St. Joseph's College and a master's degree in public health from Hunter College. In addition, she completed the Executive Program in business administration at Columbia University School of Business and an honorary doctor of law degree conferred on her by St. Joseph's College, her alma mater.

Yvonne Graham has written and published many professional articles and has recently co-authored a textbook that serves as a seminal guide to the operations and management of community-based health organizations and their role in improving health outcomes.

She has been the recipient of numerous awards and honors: YWCA's Women of Distinction Award; National Association of Black Social Workers' Public Citizen of the Year Award; the Frederick Douglass Medal of Honor awarded by the New York State Governor to distinguished Africans-Americans; the American Lung Association's Distinguished Award for Leadership, Creativity, and Caring in Promotion of Community Health; and the Harriet Tubman Award.

Madam Speaker, Ms. Graham's record of public service has continuously demonstrated a level of altruistic dedication and today we should recognize this outstanding woman.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize Dr. Monica Dweck, a native New Yorker who graduated from Hunter College High School and then attended Princeton University. However, after working for several years, she decided to attend medical school at the State University of New York at the Downstate Medical Center in Brooklyn, New York. Upon graduation, she interned at Hartford Hospital in Connecticut, a large Level I trauma hospital. She returnee, to New York City to do her residency in Ophthalmology at The New York Eye and Ear Infirmary where she was the first African-American woman in their 180-year history.

Her fellowship In Oculoplastic, Reconstructive and Orbital Surgery was done at the Cleveland Clinic and she was the first woman of color in the entire country to receive this type of fellowship training. She then entered private practice in Pennsylvania for several years. Dr. Dweck was soon recruited back to SUNY Downstate Medical Center to create an Oculoplastic Surgery curriculum for the Ophthalmology Residency Program there and to become Director of the Oculoplastic Surgery Service. A few months after her arrival, she was asked to run the Ophthalmology Residency Program. In 2005, Monica was appointed Vice-Chair and Program Director for the Department of Ophthalmology.

Dr. Dweck has held many leadership positions locally, regionally, nationally and has chaired several committees at SUNY Downstate Medical Center. She was elected to the Board of Directors of the New York State Ophthalmological Society and also the Brooklyn Ophthalmological Society, where she served as President.

In 2001, she was appointed by the New York State Board of Regents to the New York State Board of Medicine. Dr. Dweck was elected Chairperson-Elect of the National Medical Association--Ophthalmology Section In 2005.

Dr. Monica Dweck has lectured on national and international levels and has several research abstracts and book chapters. She has received numerous awards over the years, including a listing in the Castle- Connelly ``Top Doctors in the New York Metro Area'' annually since 2000 and Strathmore's Who's Who.

Madam Speaker, I am very pleased to recognize Dr. Dweck's remarkable career and selfless dedication to medical research, She is distinguished member of the Brooklyn medical community.

Madam Speaker, I rise to recognize Gloria Chestnut, a native of Washington, DC, whose lifelong dream was to further her education. However, she was faced with a critical decision, as she was a single mother, sole provider in her home and yet would have to learn to cope with the challenges of being a student with homework as well as being a full-time breadwinner. Yet she did just that, beginning her amazing journey at the age of 45.

In 1988, Gloria did continue her educational dream by enrolling in Medgar Evers College and was still a liberal arts student there when she retired from the U.S. Postal Service after 27 years of service. She began an introspective search into what would ultimately be her true calling. After graduating with an associates degree from Medgar Evers College, she entered the Graduate Center CUNY B.A./B.S. program and began classes at Brooklyn College in 1995.

It was there in 1997 during a class in the radio and television masters program, when a fellow classmate shared his experience with Brooklyn Community Access Television, BCAT, that she realized her future potential. Here she was, a 67-year-old mother, grandmother of seven, and a great-grandmother of two found a career in the arts through the venues of film, video, radio, and television. Gloria volunteers much of her time assisting producers with their productions as well as editing her own weekly show at BCAT. She produces weekly shows that reflect spirituality: ``Expressions of Faith'' and ``Expressions of Faith Ministries'' are programs that explore faith and the healing power of prayer.

Gloria Chestnut is a member of various organizations: GAMA, Grandmothers As Mothers Again; United Parents For Justice; Church Women United; JPAC, Jewish Association for Services for the Aged; NCNW, National Council of Negro Women; AARP Brooklyn Chapter #180; St. Gabriel and Ft. Greene Senior Centers; JASA, Institute for Senior Actions, as a former volunteer cameraperson for Jazz 966 and Jazzy Jazz. As an independent producer, Gloria has numerous productions to her credit: Aids in the Black Church; The Messiah Is Coming; The Real Life of Harriet Tubman; Malachi Roots Revisited; Mighty Men in the Bible; and many more.

Madam Speaker, I believe that it is incumbent on this body to recognize the accomplishments of Gloria Chestnut as she offers her talents and services for the betterment of our community. Since 1999 she has been rewarded the Hardy Smallwood Foundation Community Service Award, first place PEGASY Religious Import Award, third place in the Alliance for Community Media/Northeast Region Festival, Women's History Month Access Fund Award, Bethune Recognition Award for Loyal and Faithful Service, and the International Library of Photography Editor's Choice Award.

Madam Speaker, Gloria Chestnut is a remarkable woman who demonstrates that she has reinvented the wheel as a senior citizen with a wonderful second career as a video producer.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize the accomplishments of Dr. Myrah Brown Green, who is currently an Adjunct/ Assistant Professor of Art History at Medgar Evers College in Brooklyn, New York. She is an Art Historian, Fiber/Surface Designer and a Professional Quilt Artist and has been the Program Director of the Crown Heights Youth Collective in Brooklyn for the past thirty years.

Her quilts are in a number of private collections including the homes of personal collectors and academic institutions. ``At the Cross'' has been acquired by the Smithsonian's Anacostia Museum in Washington, DC. Myrah's quilt exhibitions include one woman shows at the Cacciloa and Back Room Galleries in New York. Other shows include the national traveling exhibit, Textural Rhythm: Constructing the Jazz Tradition, Threads of Faith, at the American Bible Society, Open House at the Brooklyn Museum of Art, Parallel Threads at the New England Quilt Museum, Six Continents of Quilts through the American Craft Museum at the Payne Webster Gallery in New York.

In addition to her remarkable career in quilts, Myrah teaches both art and history along with quilting techniques within a variety of art programs and academic institutions. Her tenure as a docent at the Brooklyn Museum of Art from 1999-2006 afforded her the opportunity to perform tours in galleries of Africa, Native America, 18th and 19th Century period rooms and American and European paintings. Her quilts appear in a number of quilt publications including Fiber Art Magazine, Spirit of the Cloth: Contemporary African American Quilts, Threads of Faith and Textural Rhythms: Constructing the Jazz Tradition. She is also the author of African Rhythms, a chapter included in the book, Rodale's Successful Quilting Library: Choosing Quilting Designs. Currently, Dr. Green has written a book entitled, ``Pieces of a World: Foundation Pieced Symbols From Around the Globe'' that is due to appear on book shelves later this year.

Myrah's PhD. in Interdisciplinary Studies with a focus in Art History is themed: The Presence of African Symbols in Modern Art. She created a lecture entitled, The Presence of World Symbols in Quilt Making, which was presented at the Storytellers in Cloth Conference, Connecticut, the Museum of the American Folk Art, Pratt Institute, New York and the Cheik Anta Diop Conference in Pennsylvania. Dr. Myrah Brown Green is a member of the Quilter's Guild of Brooklyn, the American Quilt Study Group, the Studio Art Quilt Association, Chairperson of Women of Color Quilters Network, Inc. Finally, she is the Director and Co-Founder of ``Tell Mama Now'' a mentoring program for girls interested in Art and Art History.

Madame Speaker, it is important for us to recognize the successful endeavors of Dr. Myrah Brown Green and her talented gifts as an inspirational quilter. I am pleased to congratulate her today.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to the achievements and celebrate the 80th birthday of Ruby N. Holmes. Born in Laurens, South Carolina in 1928, Ruby was raised in a large share- cropping family. Her father was a minister and her mom a missionary.

Ruby migrated to New York City in the late 1940s after becoming the first of 14 children to graduate college. She attended Allen University in Columbia, South Carolina where she became a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. Ruby then earned a bachelor's degree in education from Pace University and a master's degree in early childhood education from Adelphi University.

Ruby married Martin L. Holmes, now deceased, after settling in Brooklyn and raised a family in the Farragut Houses. When her children were school aged, she began a career as an early childhood educator, working 30 years at the Brevoort Children's Center as a group teacher before her retirement.

Ruby is a member of the Church of the Open Door. She is the former Women's Day chairperson; a trustee; Sunday school teacher; member of the Silver Singers; Open Book Club; the Anna and James Ministry; as well as member and past coordinator of the Senior's Ministry. She is involved in social action in her community and is a former member of the Farragut Community Board.

Ruby is the mother of two daughters Karen and Cheryl Holmes. She is also the grand-godmother to Paul Williams and Schuyler Burke.

Madam Speaker, I would like to recognize Ruby N. Holmes, on her 80th birthday and let her know how much she is appreciated by all of those whose lives she has touched.

Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in paying tribute to Ruby N. Holmes.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of National Peace Corps Week, in honor of the 47th anniversary of the Peace Corps on March 1, 2008.

Since President John F. Kennedy established the Peace Corps in 1961, more than 190,000 Peace Corps volunteers have served their country in 139 developing nations around the globe. Their undying efforts for the cause of peace are commendable and have made a lasting impact on the communities in which they have lived and worked.

Peace Corps volunteers range from recent college graduates to retirees with several decades of work experience, and represent the tremendous diversity of the American people. The issues they address cover HIV/AIDS education and outreach, environmental protection, and improving information technology in developing nations.

Three individuals from my congressional district in Brooklyn are presently serving as Peace Corps volunteers. Kimberly Joyce has been serving in Belize since the summer of 2006; Jame McCray has been serving in Samoa since the summer of 2006; and Caitlin Parish has been serving in Tanzania since the summer of 2007. Their tireless efforts for the greater cause of peace will profoundly affect these communities. I would like to applaud and commend these outstanding Brooklynites for committing themselves to such a worthwhile cause. They are role models for us all.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H. Res. 947 which welcomes the new President of the Republic of Korea, Lee Myung-Bak, and congratulates him on his upcoming inauguration later this month. I am pleased to be a cosponsor of this important resolution.

Madam Speaker, not a little more than a half century ago--within living memory of several Members of this House, most notably our distinguished Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, my dear friend Mr. Rangel--the Republic of Korea was an impoverished casualty of imperialism and war. It has since grown to be affluent and productive beyond the wildest dreams of the American and South Korean soldiers who fought shoulder-to-shoulder for freedom and democracy during the Korean War.

There are over two million Americans of Korean descent living throughout the United States, from Hawaii, where the first Korean immigrants landed a little more than a century ago, to New York, which is home to one of the largest and most vibrant Korean American communities in the Nation. It is important to note that Korean Americans have made significant contributions in New York politically, economically, culturally and through their various civic and religious organizations.

The newly elected President of the Republic of Korea is a distinguished statesman and prominent business leader. President-elect Lee Myung-Bak has served as a Member of the South Korean National Assembly; he was Mayor of Seoul, South Korea's largest city and capital; he has been a visiting scholar at the George Washington University; and he has been the chief executive officer of some of the Republic of' Korea's most successful business corporations affiliated with the Hyundai Group. He has distinguished himself over the years in both the public and private sectors.

Madam Speaker, President-elect Lee has indicated, in several statements he has made since his election, a profound desire to strengthen the already strong friendship and partnership between the Republic of Korea and the United States. I applaud President-elect Lee for this commitment and look forward to working with him and administration to this end. I join my colleagues in congratulating and wishing him and his transition team well as they take up their new responsibilities.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of H Res. 932, Honoring National School Counseling Week. First, I'd like to thank my colleague, Representative Linda Sanchez, for introducing this important resolution.

As a social worker, I recognize the invaluable role that guidance counselors and other social services personnel play in our schools.

These dedicated men and women devote their lives to ensuring the bright futures of our Nation's children, supporting them both academically and socially, and assisting them on the great journey towards higher education and a successful career.

Guidance counselors also play a vital role in our efforts to increase high school graduation and college enrollment rates.

However, despite our reliance on these important individuals for doing the crucial work of preparing our Nation's youth for entry into college and the real world, we often fail to give school counselors the support they need to do their jobs effectively.

Many of our schools are under-staffed with guidance counselors, and these hardworking individuals are tasked with serving an overwhelming number of students with a limited amount of resources. The average counselor-to-student ratio in our Nation's public schools is 1 to 436. We must acknowledge this reality, and direct our efforts in Congress toward increasing both our support and recognition of these hardworking men and women in our schools.

For these reasons, I am a proud co-sponsor of House Resolution 932, to recognize the important work of school guidance counselors, inspiring the youth of America, and providing them with much-needed support in their journey toward high school graduation and a prosperous future.

My fellow colleagues in Congress, I urge you to support House Resolution 932, so that we may celebrate the accomplishments and diligent efforts of guidance counselors in our Nation's schools.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to Reverend Leary E. Bonnett. Reverend Bonnett, a native of Guyana, completed the General Certificate of Education and high school examinations through the University of London before migrating to the United States.

Reverend Bonnett earned his Bachelor of Arts Degree in Economics from Queens College of the City University of New York. He went on to pursue a Master of Arts Degree in Human Resources Development from Webster University in St. Louis, Missouri as well as a Master of Divinity Degree from New York Theological Seminary. Reverend Bonnett is currently completing work towards a Doctor of Ministry Degree at United Theological Seminary in Dayton, Ohio. specializing in spirituality and leadership for the 21st century.

Reverend Bonnett enlisted in the U.S. Army after college in order to fulfill a deterred draft commitment granted to full-time students during the Vietnam War. He attended Officers Candidate School at Fort Benning, Georgia and was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant. After 13 years of distinguished military service, he separated from active duty with rank of Major. His military decorations include the U.S. Army Good Conduct Medal; the U.S. Army Achievement Medal; and the U.S. Army Commendation Medal.

Reverend Bonnett is the former Executive Director of a parochial day school in the Rockaway section of Queens. While there he streamlined the curriculum to meet New York State standards. In addition, Reverend Bonnett served with the Salvation Army providing therapeutic crisis intervention to at-risk youths. After the attacks of September 11, 2001, he joined a team of family support specialists with the American Red Cross to providing benefits and support to family members who lost loved ones or were injured in the terrorist attack.

Reverend Bonnett is currently the Director of Christian Education at the Berean Missionary Baptist Church in Brooklyn. He is the Founder and Executive Director of Silence The Guns, an educational organization dedicated to eliminating handgun usage among America's children. He is also the author of two books; Failure is Not the Problem: and Joy Cometh in the Morning.

Reverend Bonnett resides in Brooklyn with his wife, Dr. Terry Jan Blackett-Bonnet. He has three children, Kimbia, Amilcar and Haron.

Madam Speaker, I would like to recognize Reverend Bonnett's selfless contributions and his works as a mentor to the children of Brooklyn.

Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in paying tribute to Reverend Leary E. Bonnett.

Madam Speaker, I would like to call my colleagues' attention to a compelling letter written by Arthur I. Jacknowitz, Pharm. D, Professor and Distinguished Chair in the Department of Clinical Pharmacy at West Virginia University's School of Pharmacy at the Robert C. Byrd Health Sciences Center in Morgantown, WV. Writing on behalf of more than 650 pharmacies and 359,000 Medicare beneficiaries in West Virginia, Professor Jacknowitz expressed his deep concern over the adverse impact that CMS's new policy excluding compounded inhalation medications from Medicare beneficiaries would have in West Virginia and across the Nation.

Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to enter Professor Jacknowitz's letter into the Record.

West Virginia University,

School of Pharmacy,

Morgantown, WV, October 30, 2007.

Kerry Weems, Administrator,

Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, 200 Independence

Avenue, SW, Room 314 G, Washington, DC.

Dear Administrator Weems: Compounding pharmacists play an

essential role in many patients' lives by enabling physicians

to prescribe customized medication therapy to best meet their

needs. Indeed, for the growing number of people with unique

therapeutic requirements that cannot be addressed with

commercially available products, a compounded product may be

the only viable treatment option.

Compounding of medications for patient use has been a

significant component of the practice of pharmacy and

medicine since the beginnings of our profession. Virtually

all practicing pharmacists will be involved with compounding

activities at some point during their career. In fact, it is

estimated that the 30 to 40 million prescriptions are

compounded each year. Pharmacists are the only health care

professionals that have studied chemical compatibilities and

can prepare alternate dosage forms. In fact, each state

requires that pharmacy schools must, as part of their core

curriculum, instruct students on the compounding of

pharmaceutical ingredients. Compounding pharmacies are

licensed and regulated by their respective state boards of

pharmacy, rather than the FDA.

With this mind, I am writing to you as a Professor of

Pharmacy and on behalf of more than 650 pharmacies and

359,000 Medicare beneficiaries they serve in our state of

West Virginia to express my concern about the Center for

Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) new policy excluding

compounded inhalation medications from Medicare

beneficiaries. CMS issued this new policy without explanation

or medical rationale driven by the Food and Drug

Administration's (FDA) posture and legal position regarding

compounding. It is a reversal of your agency's long-standing

policy on inhalation medications. By excluding compounded

inhalation medications for Medicare beneficiaries stating

that they are no longer medically necessary you are

discriminating

against compounded medications in general. I believe that

this new policy may have far-reaching and serious

consequences for Medicare beneficiaries who rely on nebulizer

medications. Eliminating compounding will severely restrict

access to these critical medications for Medicare

beneficiaries and their prescribing physicians.

The FDA's legal position on compounding medications, its

aggressive enforcement policies against several compounding

pharmacies and the agency's intervention and influence on

CMS's recent policies on compounded medications establishes a

dangerous precedent for all pharmacy compounding throughout

the United States. Ignoring the recent Federal court

decision Medical Center Pharmacy v Gonzales. 451 F.

Supp.2d 854, 865 (W.D. Tex. 2006), the FDA reasserted its

legal position ``that all compounded drugs are unapproved

new, and therefore illegal, drugs under the Federal Food,

Drug and Cosmetic Act (FDCA)''. Contrary to the FDA's

position, the Federal Court held that ``compounded drugs,

when created for an individual patient pursuant to a

prescription from a licensed practitioner, were implicitly

exempt from the new drug definitions contained in the

Act''.

As a result of the FDA's position and CMS's new policy on

compounding, more than 29,000 citizens of West Virginia

suffering from Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)

that depend on these medications as well as the hundreds of

compounding pharmacies and their employees, will be adversely

affected. For this reason, I am asking that CMS rescind the

recent policy excluding compounding medications.

Thank you, for you consideration.

Sincerely,

Arthur I. Jacknowitz,

Professor and Distinguished Chair,

Department of Clinical Pharmacy.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to Dady Belfort. Dady, one of four children, was born in Les Cayes on the Island of Haiti to Rose Nostalie and Joseph Santiford Belfort. In 1977, she migrated to the United States enrolling in Erasmus Hall High School. After her high school graduation in 1980, she attended Kings Borough Community College and is currently enrolled at John Jay College, pursuing a Master's Degree in Criminal Justice.

Dady became a police officer for the City of New York in 1989. Since joining the force, she has received numerous citations during her 18 years of service. In 2002, she became the force's Community Affairs Officer and in 2005 she was promoted to Detective.

Dady is very active in her community. She is a regular participant in the New York Cares coat drive as well as numerous toy drives. Dady walks each year in the Our Lady of Miraculous Medal Parish's walk-a- thon for the Knights of Columbus, and the walk for breast cancer at Jones Beach. She is a member of the Canarsie Lions Club, and the Haitian American Law Enforcement Fraternal Organization. Dady coordinates with various organizations' outreach programs to help the less fortunate by collecting food for the homeless, adopting a family for the holidays, and frequently assisting at the Gerald R. Ryan Outreach Center Soup Kitchen.

As a young girl, Dady has always wanted to make a difference in her community. She lives her life by one simple saying, ``Happiness is not an individual matter. When you are able to bring relief or bring back the smile to one person, not only that person profits but you also profit. The deepest happiness you can have comes from the capacity to help relieve the suffering of others. So if we have the habit of being peaceful, there is a natural tendency for us to go into the direction of service.''

Dady is married to Cecil Ramsay and they have three children; Rodnny, Samantha and Christopher.

Madam Speaker, I would like to recognize this pillar of New York who has set the bar extremely high for individual service to her community.

Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in paying tribute to this Dady Belfort.