Mar 16, 2018
Andrea DeMeo
A statement from our President and CEO Andrea DeMeo
I am deeply saddened by the passing of Congresswoman Louise Slaughter, a trailblazer who fought the entirety of her remarkable career for the rights of all people. Congresswoman Slaughter was a resilient public servant, and an unrelenting champion for the communities we serve.
Congresswoman Slaughter’s legacy on our Rochester community will continue to shine through her championing of causes to ensure that our LGBTQ communities and marginalized individuals and families receive the equitable treatment, dignity, and respect everyone deserves. Her mission to improve our Rochester community, and the nation, is rooted in the same values of which Trillium Health was founded upon; courage, hope, and innovation.
Indeed, Congresswoman Louise Slaughter embodied those three values throughout her tenure as a public servant. She was courageous in her efforts to pass the Affordable Care Act, ensuring that all Americans, regardless of status, had access to high-quality, equitable healthcare. Her hope for an end to the HIV epidemic began at our founding, where she joined our co-founder, Bill Valenti, at our ribbon cutting ceremony in 1989 and said “the work of this clinic will transform AIDS in ways we cannot appreciate today.” And she was an innovative leader in serving on the Congressional Task Force on International HIV/AIDS, and serving as the first woman to chair the House Rules Committee. In Dr. Valenti’s words, “Louise was a dedicated and loyal friend to Trillium Health since the beginning in 1989. She will be greatly missed”
At Trillium Health, we were proud to call Louise our friend. Her fierce advocacy for our patients, and our LGBTQ communities, have helped paved the way to who we are today. I am proud to have known an inspiring woman so dedicated to the lives and rights of all people, and to have worked closely with her to ensure a healthier tomorrow, and for that, I am truly grateful. Our Rochester community would not be who we are today were it not for her, and we will ensure that her legacy continues to better the lives of our neighbors. I wish to thank Congresswoman Slaughter for her innumerable contributions to us, and our community. May peace be with her family and loved ones during this incredibly difficult time.