By Solis                                               H.R. No. 100
       74R4904 SRD-F
                                  R E S O L U T I O N
    1-1        WHEREAS, Since 1987, the Valley AIDS Council in Harlingen has
    1-2  provided invaluable health care and educational services to the
    1-3  residents of the Lower Rio Grande Valley, and its committed efforts
    1-4  in fighting the AIDS epidemic are greatly appreciated by all
    1-5  Texans; and
    1-6        WHEREAS, The only community-based organization in the region
    1-7  dealing with AIDS- and HIV-related issues, the Council began as a
    1-8  volunteer speaker's bureau dedicated to educating the community
    1-9  about HIV; responding to the rapid growth of the AIDS epidemic, the
   1-10  Council expanded its services in 1989 to include case management,
   1-11  support services, and primary health care referrals; and
   1-12        WHEREAS, When available medical services proved insufficient
   1-13  to meet the needs of HIV-infected individuals in the Valley, the
   1-14  Council opened its own full-service primary health care clinic,
   1-15  Corazones Unidos; the clinic offers lab services, a pharmacy, and
   1-16  substance abuse referrals, as well as medical and dental care; and
   1-17        WHEREAS, This distinguished organization is able to provide
   1-18  quality care to those individuals and families whose lives have
   1-19  been affected by AIDS and HIV through the financial assistance
   1-20  provided them by the Texas Department of Health, the Bureau of
   1-21  Primary Health Care, the Texas Commission on Alcohol and Drug
   1-22  Abuse, the Levi Strauss Foundation, and the United Way of Southern
   1-23  Cameron County; through pastoral and psychological counseling,
   1-24  support groups, a food pantry, and assistance with housing and
    2-1  transportation, the Valley AIDS Council seeks to treat the entire
    2-2  person rather than just the illness, and this holistic approach
    2-3  enables it to ably meet all the diverse needs of its clients; and
    2-4        WHEREAS, At a time when health care approaches and
    2-5  alternatives are being widely discussed, the Valley AIDS Council
    2-6  has taken the lead in finding innovative solutions to the unique
    2-7  health concerns of its neighbors in South Texas; its compassionate
    2-8  and comprehensive approach in tackling the problems of the AIDS
    2-9  epidemic will surely become a model for programs across the nation,
   2-10  and its remarkable efforts are indeed worthy of special praise and
   2-11  recognition; now, therefore, be it
   2-12        RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 74th Texas
   2-13  Legislature hereby commend the Valley AIDS Council for its
   2-14  outstanding service to the people of Harlingen and the Rio Grande
   2-15  Valley and extend to its staff warmest best wishes for continued
   2-16  success in the future; and, be it further
   2-17        RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
   2-18  prepared for the Valley AIDS Council as an expression of high
   2-19  regard by the Texas House of Representatives.