`[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 185 (Wednesday, December 10, 2008)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2359]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  EMMY AWARDED TO US FAMILY HEALTH PLAN AND NATIONAL MILITARY FAMILY 
                              ASSOCIATION

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. EDOLPHUS TOWNS-

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, December 10, 2008

  Mr. TOWNS. Madam Speaker, I would like to share with my colleagues a 
press release which announces that the US Family Health Plan and the 
National Military Family Association have won the only Public Service 
Emmy Award presented nationwide in the category of local public service 
announcements. I would also like to pay tribute to Saint Vincent's 
Catholic Medical Centers which for nearly 160 years has provided 
critical health care in New York and beyond, and is an important member 
of the US Family Health Plan. I am also pleased and proud to add that 
today, Saint Vincent's has a highly capable and dynamic new chief 
executive officer, Henry J. Amoroso, who is leading plans to build a 
new ``all-green, all-digital'' 21st century health care facility that 
will serve hundreds of thousands of patients annually.

And the Emmy Award Goes to: The US Family Health Plan and the National 
                      Military Family Association

                 (By Michelle Joyner and Susan Oakland)

       Washington, DC, November 20, 2008.--A series of public 
     service announcements (PSAs) jointly sponsored by the US 
     Family Health Plan, a DOD-sponsored military healthcare plan 
     and the National Military Family Association, a non-profit 
     organization committing to improving the lives of military 
     families, has been honored with an Emmy Award from the 
     National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. The PSA 
     series, ``Now is Our Time to Serve,'' was designed to raise 
     awareness of the need to ``support, befriend, remember and 
     appreciate'' America's military family members. It won the 
     only Public Service Emmy Award presented nationwide in the 
     category of Local Public Service Announcements, designed for 
     the PSAs that have aired in up to 50 percent of the country's 
     TV markets.
       The series aired from July 2007 through February 2008, with 
     total viewership topping 7.3 million, including broadcasts in 
     major U.S. television markets and airings in over 200 movie 
     theatres prior to family film screenings. The announcements--
     just one facet of an ongoing partnership between the US 
     Family Health Plan and the National Military Family 
     Association--may be viewed online at 
     www.yearofthemilitaryfamily.org. The PSAs were produced for 
     the US Family Health Plan and the National Military Family 
     Association by Marion, Montgomery, Inc.
       ``US Family Health Plan delivers the TRICARE Prime benefit 
     to many of our beneficiaries and we certainly applaud these 
     kinds of public awareness efforts,'' said Army Maj. Gen. 
     Elder Granger, deputy director of TRICARE Management 
     Activity. ``Congratulations go out to everyone involved in 
     raising awareness about the needs of our military families.''
       Kate Ryan, chair of the US Family Health Plan Alliance, 
     said, ``We are honored to share the Emmy Award with the 
     National Military Family Association. Both the NMFA and the 
     US Family Health Plan are passionate about service uniformed 
     services families and it's gratifying to know that our 
     collaboration has helped spread the word about the need to 
     support these everyday American heroes.''
       Nancey Alsheimer, chairman of the National Military Family 
     Association Board of Governors, said, ``The Emmy Award gives 
     us renewed pride in our mission of protecting and promoting 
     the interests of military families. The Emmy Award for the 
     series will bring additional attention to the important 
     message of support for families--and for that, we are 
     grateful.''
       The US Family Health Plan, a Department of Defense-
     sponsored health plan, is made available by nonprofit 
     healthcare providers in six service areas across the country. 
     It serves over 100,000 military beneficiaries, including 
     active-duty family members, activated Guard and Reserve 
     family members, and retirees and their family members. One of 
     its hallmarks is its ability to maintain a consistently high 
     level of patient satisfaction; in fact, in 2008, overall 
     satisfaction with the health plan is 87.9 percent, compared 
     to 61.9 percent for traditional HMOs. The six not-for-profit 
     organizations through which enrollment in the US Family 
     Health Plan is offered include:
       Johns Hopkins Medicine (1-800-801-9322)--serving Maryland, 
     Washington D.C., and parts of Pennsylvania, Virginia and West 
     Virginia
       Martin's Point Health Care (1-888-241-4556)--serving Maine, 
     Vermont, New Hampshire and northeastern New York
       Brighton Marine Health Center (1-800-818-8589)--serving 
     Massachusetts, including Cape Cod, plus Rhode Island and 
     northern Connecticut
       Saint Vincent Catholic Medical Centers (1-800-241-4848)--
     serving parts of New York, all of New Jersey, eastern 
     Pennsylvania and southern Connecticut
       CHRISTUS Health (1-800-678-7347)--serving southeast Texas 
     and southwest Louisiana
       Pacific Medical Centers (1-888-958-7347)--serving the Puget 
     Sound area of Washington State.
       For more information about the US Family Health Plan, visit 
     www.usfamilyhealthplan.org.
 The National Military Family Association, the only 
     nonprofit organization that represents families of all ranks 
     and services, prepares spouses, children and parents to 
     better deal with the unique challenges of military life. The 
     Association protects benefits vital to all families, 
     including those of the deployed, wounded and fallen. For 
     nearly 40 years, its staff and volunteers, comprised mostly 
     of military family members, have built a reputation as the 
     leading experts on military family issues. For more 
     information, visit http://nmfa.org.
 Marion Montgomery, Inc. is a full-service marketing, public 
     relations and interactive agency based in Houston, Texas. It 
     produced the PSA series for the US Family Health Plan and the 
     National Military Family Association. For more information on 
     Marion Montgomery, Inc. visit www.mmihouston.com.
 The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences is a 
     professional service organization dedicated to the 
     advancement of the arts and sciences of television and the 
     promotion of creative leadership for artistic, educational 
     and technical achievements within the television industry. 
     For more information, please visit www.emmyonline.tv.





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