Senate Floor Speech
Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison
October 22, 2007

SENATOR HUTCHISON DISCUSSES THE DEPARTMENTS OF LABOR, HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, AND EDUCATION APPROPRIATIONS ACT


MRS. HUTCHISON. I join Senator Bond in his recognition of the challenges that Labor-HHS appropriations presents, and I sincerely appreciate the continued efforts of my colleagues to emphasize the importance of increased funding for CHGME. I support an increase in funding for CHGME to $307 million, and I thank the chairman and ranking member for their support in trying to increase funding in conference.

The number of children throughout our country is rapidly increasing, and we must provide the necessary funding to train pediatricians and pediatric subspecialists at a pace that reflects the child population growth. For example, from 2000 to 2006, the number of children in my home State of Texas increased by an astounding 501,800, and the projected increase of children in Texas from 2006 to 2010 is over 346,000. CHGME funding helps provide access to pediatric medical services and ensures the needs of children are addressed with specialized health care.

CHGME is essential to ensuring that pediatricians and pediatric subspecialists in cardiology, emergency care, gastroenterology and other fields receive the necessary medical training to provide the best level of care to our children. In Texas, 60 percent of pediatric residents and 84 percent of pediatric subspecialists are trained at children's hospitals, and CHGME funding supports children's hospitals. Without this funding, we risk facing a national decline and ultimate shortage in the number of physicians that have received the specialized training to treat our smallest and youngest patients.

I support an increase in funding because CHGME strengthens each State's ability to retain pediatricians after completion of the residency program. Of the residents and fellows trained by CHGME hospitals, nearly 60 percent remain to practice in the State in which they completed their pediatric residency. In some States, this percentage is even higher.

Texas and the Nation depend heavily on children's hospitals to care for critically and seriously ill children, as well as the low-income children in their communities. Increasing CHGME funding is an investment in children's health. For these reasons, I proudly join my colleagues in emphasizing the importance of this issue, and I hope we can increase the funding for CHGME when we conference with the House of Representatives.


Back to Floor Speeches.