November 29, 2001
REP. DILLON TO BE NAMED "LEGISLATOR OF THE YEAR"
BY HOSPITAL GROUP
Representative Patricia Dillon (D-New Haven) will receive the Connecticut Catholic Hospital Council’s (CCHC) "Legislator of the Year" award Monday during a ceremony in Farmington. The award is presented annually to lawmakers whose work has benefited the state’s Catholic hospitals.
"Rep. Dillon has consistently been the most important person in the House of Representatives when hospital issues are debated on the floor," Hospital of St. Raphael President and CEO David Benfer noted. "Pat has masterfully taken the essential elements of complex issues and developed appropriate public policy positions that protect our most vulnerable residents."
The award will be presented during a reception on Monday, December 3rd, at 6:00 p.m., at Apricots restaurant in Farmington. It honors Rep. Dillon as a leader in recognizing the emergence of immigrant health issues and the related financial costs to hospitals, noting her work to create a distressed hospital fund with vision for the future of hospitals and others who treat uninsured residents in Connecticut.
Rep. Dillon said, "This award is a great honor. Too often, the needs of Connecticut’s Catholic Hospitals are overlooked. Institutions like St. Vincent’s, St Mary’s and St. Raphael’s provide vital services to all Connecticut residents. It is a constant battle to make sure our voices are heard. We are making progress and I will continue to press the issue."
Representative Dillon was first elected to the General Assembly in 1984. She is an Assistant Majority Leader and serves on the Appropriations and Judiciary Committees. Rep. Dillon chairs the Health and Hospitals Subcommittee on Appropriations.