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HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2     WHEREAS, In December 2004, tsunami waves created by an
3 undersea earthquake near Indonesia devastated large sectors of
4 the coasts of India, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, and Thailand; and
 
5     WHEREAS, President George W. Bush declared a national
6 initiative to assist affected nations with recovery and relief;
7 and
 
8     WHEREAS, President Bush called upon former Presidents Bill
9 Clinton and George H.W. Bush to provide leadership for the
10 response to the tsunami tragedy from the federal government,
11 other nations, the private sector, the non-profit sector, and
12 individuals; and
 
13     WHEREAS, There is a dearth of imaging equipment in India,
14 and thus an important need of the tsunami victims is a CT scan
15 for their physicians to accurately diagnose medical
16 conditions; and
 
17     WHEREAS, The Meenakshi Mission Hospital and Research
18 Centre in Tamil Nadu, India, attends to the diagnosis and
19 treatment of the injuries and illnesses of the tsunami victims;
20 the Centre serves low-income and indigent populations at the
21 Hospital and villagers in rural areas at community centers; a
22 mobile CT scan would materially enhance the Centre's services
23 to tsunami victims; and
 
24     WHEREAS, Direct Relief International, a non-profit,
25 non-sectarian medical relief organization, supports disaster
26 relief around the world, including tsunami-affected
27 populations in India, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, and Thailand;
28 Direct Relief coordinated the Centre's need for a mobile CT
29 scan with the generosity of Illinois individuals, such as Joel
30 Willard who owned the CT scan, and businesses, such as

 

 

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1 Navistar, to bring the Centre's hope to reality; and
 
2     WHEREAS, Navistar International Truck and Engine
3 Corporation, of Warrenville, Illinois, the nation's largest
4 commercial truck, school bus and mid-range diesel engine
5 producer, created and donated a specialized towing tractor to
6 transport the mobile CT scan throughout Tamil Nadu, India; and
 
7     WHEREAS, The Speaker of the House, Dennis Hastert, has been
8 instrumental in processing a request that the U.S. military
9 transport the mobile CT scan to India; Congressman Daniel
10 Lipinski joined Speaker Hastert in this effort; and
 
11     WHEREAS, This unique collaborative effort among the
12 public, private, and non-profit sectors of different nations to
13 meet an important need of the tsunami victims by providing a
14 mobile CT scan will serve thousands of people in India by
15 providing physicians with data to make accurate diagnoses; and
 
16     WHEREAS, On October 22, 2005, at the dedication ceremony at
17 the Illinois National Guard North Riverside Armory the mobile
18 CT scan and Navistar tractor will be unveiled; and
 
19     WHEREAS, Dr. N. Sethuraman from India, the Founder of the
20 Meenakshi Mission Hospital & Research Centre, who traveled to
21 the United States for this dedication is hereby honored for his
22 humanitarian contributions to healthcare in India for the
23 indigent, and given our warmest welcome to the United States
24 and the State of Illinois as he accepts the mobile CT scan for
25 use in the Mobile CT Imaging Program for Tsunami Survivors in
26 Tamil Nadu, India; and
 
27     WHEREAS, Mr. Thomas Tighe, the President and CEO of Direct
28 Relief International, who traveled here from Direct Relief's
29 California headquarters, is also given a warm Illinois welcome
30 for being present to complete this gift of equipment for the

 

 

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1 heavily impacted east coast of Tamil Nadu; and
 
2     WHEREAS, In India, the mobile CT scan will travel over 500
3 kilometers from northern Tamil Nadu to the southern tip of the
4 state and provide imaging diagnostic services to the
5 tsunami-affected coastal region; therefore, be it
 
6     RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
7 NINETY-FOURTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
8 we warmly welcome Dr. N. Sethuraman and Mr. Thomas Tighe to
9 Illinois for this dedication, and that we commend and
10 congratulate Dr. N. Sethuraman, the Meenakshi Mission Hospital &
11 Research Centre, Joel Willard, Navistar International Truck
12 and Engine Corporation, Mr. Thomas Tighe, Direct Relief
13 International, the Illinois National Guard, and the United
14 States government and its military services for their
15 cooperation and coordination in this humanitarian project; and
16 be it further
 
17     RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be
18 presented to Dr. N. Sethuraman, Joel Willard, Navistar
19 International, Mr. Thomas Tighe, Speaker Hastert, Congressman
20 Lipinski, and the Illinois National Guard North Riverside
21 Armory as an expression of our esteem.