The publication is reproduced in full below:
IN RECOGNITION OF THE CAREER OF DR. JAMES HUNT
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HON. JAMES P. McGOVERN
of massachusetts
in the house of representatives
Tuesday, December 14, 2021
Mr. McGOVERN. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Dr. James W. Hunt, Jr., a leader in community health and health care reform who has spent his 41-year career advocating for underserved communities and fighting for equitable and affordable healthcare for the people of Massachusetts.
As president and CEO of the Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers, Dr. Hunt helped build a network of over 50 community health centers across the state. Born out of the civil rights movement, community health centers have been instrumental in health care reform. and have served over 1 million underserved patients in Massachusetts.
During his career, Dr. Hunt has worked hard to expand access to medical care for low-income Massachusetts residents. He has helped secure hundreds of millions of dollars in federal funds to build up the state's primary care network and to support the growing health care workforce of the Commonwealth.
Madam Speaker, Dr. Hunt's commitment to reforming our broken health care system cannot be understated and is exemplified by his tireless efforts to expand quality medical care for those who often have the hardest time accessing it. Under his leadership, health centers have administered about 650,000 doses of the vaccines that protect against COVID-19 to residents of Massachusetts--about 65 percent of whom are people of color.
Dr. Hunt began his tenure in public health as a volunteer at the Neponset Health Center in Dorchester, MA. Leaving behind a career as a civil engineer, he joined the Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers in 1980 and soon after became a leading force in community health and state health reform. Dr. Hunt's advocacy has pushed health centers to the forefront of the fight for universal health care coverage in Massachusetts.
Dr. Hunt stepped down as president and CEO of the Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers in December of 2020 and held an emeritus position through June of 2021. While he has stepped down from his role at the organization, this was not the end of Dr. Hunt's work. Dr. Hunt is forward-thinking, human-oriented, and has been and will continue to be an integral part of transforming health care in Massachusetts to positively impact the lives of the state's most marginalized communities.
Madam Speaker, on behalf of the United States Congress and all the people in whose lives Dr. Hunt has made a positive difference, it is my great privilege and honor to thank and recognize Dr. James W. Hunt, Jr. for his tireless efforts to create a more just and equitable world.
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SOURCE: Congressional Record Vol. 167, No. 215
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