H.C.R. 3

1

RESOLUTION HONORING SERVICE OF
2 PAMELA ATKINSON
3 2002 GENERAL SESSION
4 STATE OF UTAH
5 Sponsor: Martin R. Stephens
6 This concurrent resolution of the Legislature honors the contributions of Pamela Atkinson,
7 former vice president for Mission Services at Intermountain Health Care, to the less
8 fortunate citizens of Utah and recognizes her example of selfless services to others.
9 Be it resolved by the Legislature of the state of Utah, the Governor concurring therein:
10 WHEREAS, Pamela Atkinson was born into humble circumstances in her childhood home
11 of England, where she was the third of five children;
12 WHEREAS, Pamela earned nursing credentials from the University College Hospital in
13 London before coming to the United States;
14 WHEREAS, after 18 months at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York, Pamela journeyed to
15 Australia with the intention of working on a sheep farm;
16 WHEREAS, instead, Pamela ended up on an island in the Torres Straits where she worked
17 with Aborigine families;
18 WHEREAS, after returning to America, Pamela earned a degree from the University of
19 California and a graduate degree at the University of Washington;
20 WHEREAS, in the early 1980's, Pamela came to Utah and spent two years as an assistant
21 administrator for patient care at LDS Hospital, then took the same type of job in San Diego;
22 WHEREAS, in 1986 Pamela returned to Utah as a vice president of Intermountain Health
23 Care (IHC) with the specific assignment of overseeing much of the organization's charitable work
24 in the community;
25 WHEREAS, as executive director of the IHC Foundation, Pamela has helped direct
26 foundation funds where they are most needed, assisting hundreds of community agencies in the
27 provision of health-related services;

28 WHEREAS, to provide enduring support to charitable clinics, Pamela helped develop the
29 Intermountain Community Care Foundation, an independent endowment created with funds from
30 IHC, administered by community representatives, and dedicated to providing funds to non-IHC
31 community agencies that operate clinics for the homeless and low-income families;
32 WHEREAS, Pamela serves on the State Board of Regents and represents the regents on
33 the State School Board;
34 WHEREAS, Pamela has been a "servant-leader" in the community who has inspired others
35 by her own example as a volunteer, helping to mobilize volunteers among both IHC employees
36 and in the community at large;
37 WHEREAS, Pamela can often be found going out with medical teams to homeless camps
38 or participating in opening an IHC clinic at a local or multicultural center;
39 WHEREAS, Pamela has been an effective and tireless advocate for the low income and
40 homeless populations in Utah, championing their cause within IHC and in the community as a
41 whole;
42 WHEREAS, Pamela's efforts have resulted in the creation of numerous charitable clinics
43 serving people in medically underserved areas;
44 WHEREAS, she is often referred to as "St. Pamela" because of her compassion, caring, and
45 willingness to take action and even use her personal resources to help others;
46 WHEREAS, one of the frustrations of Pamela's life was when her important assignments
47 began to crowd out the time she had to provide hands-on help to the homeless and others in need;
48 WHEREAS, Pamela has been particularly devoted to meeting the needs of at-risk children,
49 helping to create a variety of programs such as the Children's Justice Center in Salt Lake City,
50 corporate "adoption" of elementary schools, and programs for children of homeless families;
51 WHEREAS, Pamela refers to her work as fun and rewarding and is quick to point out
52 others who are reaching out through charitable work;
53 WHEREAS, Pamela has said, "Don't ever underestimate the power of even a small amount
54 of caring . . . a word of encouragement here and there has a powerful impact on people;"
55 WHEREAS, Pamela couples action with prayer because spirituality is as much a part of
56 her life as board meetings and homeless camps;
57 WHEREAS, Pamela is widely recognized and beloved as one of the most compassionate,
58 hardest-working, and selfless civic leaders in Utah; and

59 WHEREAS, Pamela Atkinson set a standard for what can be done when just one person
60 sincerely wants to reach out and help the less fortunate:
61 NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of the state of Utah, the
62 Governor concurring therein, honors the life and service of Pamela Atkinson and her tireless acts
63 of charity on behalf of those less fortunate.
64 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this resolution be presented to Pamela
65 Atkinson and to representatives of Intermountain Health Care.




Legislative Review Note
as of 1-8-02 10:54 AM

A limited legal review of this legislation raises no obvious constitutional or statutory concerns.

Office of Legislative Research and General Counsel