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2010 SESSION


HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 51
Commending the Daily Planet on the occasion of its 40th anniversary.

 

Agreed to by the House of Delegates, January 15, 2010
Agreed to by the Senate, January 21, 2010

 

WHEREAS, in 2009 the Daily Planet celebrated its 40th anniversary of helping people in need in the Greater Richmond area; and

WHEREAS, founded in 1969, the Daily Planet offers vital services that provide solutions to homelessness through four outstanding programs—the Daily Planet Health Care for the Homeless Clinic, Project Strive, Medical Respite, and Safe Haven; and

WHEREAS, the Daily Planet is an important part of Homeward’s Greater Richmond Continuum of Care organized under the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development; and

WHEREAS, the Daily Planet Health Care Clinic provides primary medical, mental health, dental, and vision care to homeless citizens and residents who are uninsured or underinsured, as well as operates as a safety net for private health care systems; and

WHEREAS, the Daily Planet Health Care Clinic treats homeless persons on a nonemergency basis regardless of their ability to pay, providing quality medical care to 6,000 patients for a total of over 24,000 patient visits in 2009; and

WHEREAS, the Daily Planet Health Care Clinic also provides primary health care to people in need at other area facilities, including YWCA domestic violence shelters, Commonwealth Catholic Charities Central Intake, Richmond Behavioral Health Authority day programs, and the Healing Place; and

WHEREAS, partnering with the United Way and area hospitals, the Daily Planet Medical Respite is located in a freestanding, 4,000-square-foot building, where staff and volunteers provide services such as a safe and stable environment for homeless patients to convalesce; physical and mental health care counseling; substance abuse and psychosocial evaluations; housing referrals; and entitlement education; and

WHEREAS, the Daily Planet’s 20-bed Safe Haven facility provides long-term, stable housing to the chronically homeless who are also mentally ill and the most vulnerable; and

WHEREAS, the Daily Planet Intensive Case Management Services works closely with Central Intake, which is the single point of entry to programs for all of the homeless population, including Project Strive, a vocational and employment program; and

WHEREAS, the Daily Planet has been recognized as one of the most cost effective Health Care for the Homeless operations in the nation, receiving national recognition from the Health Resources and Services Administration of the United States Department of Health and Human Services for "Outstanding Services to the Homeless Population"; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly commend and congratulate the Daily Planet on the occasion of its 40th anniversary; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to representatives of the Daily Planet as an expression of the General Assembly’s gratitude to the organization for its commitment to people in need in the Commonwealth.