2013 -- S 0705

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LC02046

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STATE OF RHODE ISLAND

IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY

JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2013

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

CONGRATULATING RHODE ISLAND HOSPITAL ON THE JOYOUS OCCASION OF ITS

150TH ANNIVERSARY

     Introduced By: Senators Paiva Weed, Ruggerio, Metts, Pichardo, and Goodwin

     Date Introduced: March 13, 2013

     Referred To: Recommended for Immediate Consideration

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     WHEREAS, One hundred and fifty years ago in 1863, the Rhode Island General

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Assembly enacted the charter that authorized the building of a new hospital to care for the

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citizens of the state; and

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     WHEREAS, The founders of Rhode Island Hospital were motivated first and foremost by

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a desire to serve their community by caring for the sick. The hospital’s founding in the 1860’s

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occurred at the beginning of the industrial age - a time of expansion in the state. New factories

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and businesses brought new jobs, a growing economy, and an influx of immigrants. Civil War

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veterans were returning, and many required medical care. On October 1, 1868, the new hospital

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opened its doors after five years of planning, and since then, it has been serving generations of

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Rhode Islanders; and

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     WHEREAS, As the field of medicine began to grow in leaps and bounds, so did Rhode

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Island Hospital. Through wars, epidemics, and disasters, Rhode Island Hospital has been ready to

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respond to the ever-shifting needs of the population. When the 1918 influenza epidemic struck,

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the hospital treated 1,373 patients for the illness. In 1933, when the nation was in the grip of the

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Great Depression, the hospital’s outpatient clinics were inundated, but were able to handle more

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than 112,000 patient visits. When hurricanes or blizzards hit, Rhode Island Hospital remained

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open and ready to respond, even providing shelter and meals to those stranded or seeking refuge;

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and

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     WHEREAS, Rhode Island Hospital has experienced its own evolutionary leaps. In

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addition to many fruitful periods of infrastructure development and the provision of new services,

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the hospital took major steps toward becoming a regional center of research and learning; and

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     WHEREAS, In 1945, the Institute of Pathology was established to provide laboratory

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service for area hospitals. By 1948, the trustees approved a change to the hospital’s statement of

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purpose that acknowledged this development, describing the hospital as an institution “dedicated

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to the care of the sick, education, and research;” and

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     WHEREAS, The hospital today is the major trauma center for southeastern New

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England, and the principal teaching hospital of The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown

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University; and

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     WHEREAS, By the beginning of the 21st century, Rhode Island Hospital housed a

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burgeoning research enterprise, funded through substantial grants. Among the grants were several

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from the National Institutes of Health, which established the Centers of Biomedical Research

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Excellence. The centers are engaged in advanced research on the role of stem cells in cancer, the

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molecular and cellular events involved in the development of cancer, and the prevention and

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treatment of skeletal joint diseases; and

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     WHEREAS, The new century also saw acceleration in the number of “firsts” for Rhode

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Island Hospital in the use of highly sophisticated new technologies, performance of complex

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surgeries, and provision of the most advanced care in areas such as oncology, cardiology,

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pediatrics, and neurology; and

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     WHEREAS, In order to create the highest quality programs in the region and to provide

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patients with the latest, most leading-edge technology available, Rhode Island Hospital is

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committed to harnessing the power of collaboration to create a world-class academic medical

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center; and

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     WHEREAS, Drawing upon the knowledge and expertise of many of the area’s most

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accomplished physicians, Rhode Island Hospital is now a driving force in the evolution to

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medical centers of excellence, such as the Cardiovascular Institute and Comprehensive Cancer

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Center; and

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     WHEREAS, These key programs of our major academic medical center promise to

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deliver the best care available and to benefit the patients of our community and our region far into

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the future; and

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     WHEREAS, Today, Rhode Island Hospital is a regional powerhouse in medicine and

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research, but it stays true to its historical legacy. The hospital that once had a sign at the entrance

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to the outpatient department reading “Poor Only” still provides more than $46 million annually in

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uncompensated care for people in need; and

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     WHEREAS, Although the hospital bears little resemblance to the original that was

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established in 1868, the founders would be delighted to know that their values - commitment to

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the community, dedication to excellence, and courage to innovate - remain at the heart of their

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hospital and have guided Rhode Island Hospital admirably for a century and a half; now,

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therefore be it

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     RESOLVED, That this Senate of the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations

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hereby congratulates Rhode Island Hospital on the joyous occasion of its 150th Anniversary; and

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be it further

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

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transmit a duly certified copy to Timothy J. Babineau, M.D., President of Rhode Island Hospital.

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LC02046

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