2012 -- H 7980

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LC02170

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STATE OF RHODE ISLAND

IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY

JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2012

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H O U S E R E S O L U T I O N

CONGRATULATING FRANK BEAZLEY ON THE RENAMING OF THE WALLUM

BUILDING AT ZAMBARANO HOSPITAL IN HIS HONOR

     Introduced By: Representatives Keable, Petrarca, Carnevale, Silva, and Blazejewski

     Date Introduced: March 21, 2012

     Referred To: House Municipal Government

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     WHEREAS, Frank Beazley was born on December 13, 1928, in Halifax, Nova Scotia. He

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grew up in St Joseph’s orphanage and in various foster homes. He enlisted in the Royal Canadian

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Army Corps at the age of 14 and returned from military service in 1946 to become a baker at

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Ben’s Bread; and

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     WHEREAS, Mr. Beazley came to Rhode island in 1953 and stayed with his aunt in

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Warwick for a short period of time. He worked at a bakery in the Providence Armory district and

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eventually lived in Providence. On January 6, 1967, Frank tripped on his shoelace and fell down

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three flights of stairs, suffering serious injuries. In 1967, he was admitted to Zambarano Hospital;

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and

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     WHEREAS, Mr. Beazley’s experiences at Zambarano encouraged him to become a

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tireless and passionate advocate for the rights and needs of hospital patients. He became the Vice-

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President of Patients for Progress, an advocacy group at Zambarano Hospital. As an advocate, he

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has fought against hospital closures, and in particular prevented the closing of South 3, a 44-bed

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unit. He also advocated for the rights of patients to access the community on a regular basis, to

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wear street clothes, to have longer hours out of bed, to have cable television in their rooms, and to

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maintain RIPTA bus service to Zambarano when service cuts were threatened in 2001. He is

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currently the President of Patients for Progress and travels regularly to the State House to

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represent the interests of Zambarano Hospital and its patients; and

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     WHEREAS, Frank Beazley is also a distinguished poet. He is the Poet Laureate for Very

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Special Arts of Rhode Island, and is the first person to ever win the Allen Ginsberg Poetry

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Contest Award twice. His poem “Challenges and Accomplishments” was selected for exhibition

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for the United Nations in New York City. His poetry was also displayed at the “Second Heart,

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One World” Exhibition 2002 Cultural Olympiad in conjunction with the 2002 Salt Lake City

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Olympics; and

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     WHEREAS, Frank Beazley has received numerous awards and honors in his

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distinguished career. He received the State Victory award and represented Rhode Island and

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Zambarano Hospital in Washington, D.C., in 2002. He received the Jeremy Vandal Professional

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Award in 2003 from Advocates in Action, the 2006 Avery Leadership Award from CPNRI, and

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was honored by the Rhode Island State Senate in 2003 for his many outstanding contributions to

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healthcare; now, therefore be it

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     RESOLVED, That this House of Representatives of the State of Rhode Island and

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Providence Plantations hereby congratulates Frank Beazley on the renaming of the Wallum

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Building at Zambarano Hospital in his honor. Patients and families for years to come will

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associate Frank’s name with concern for patients’ dignity and rights; and be it further

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     RESOLVED, That the Secretary of state be and he hereby is authorized and directed to

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transmit a duly certified copy of this resolution to Mr. Frank Beazley.

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LC02170

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