[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 8 (Monday, February 9, 1998)]
[Senate]
[Pages S506-S507]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



NOMINATION OF DAVID SATCHER, OF TENNESSEE, TO BE AN ASSISTANT SECRETARY 
  OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, MEDICAL DIRECTOR OF THE PUBLIC HEALTH 
       SERVICE, AND SURGEON GENERAL OF THE PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE

  The Senate continued with the consideration of the nomination.
  Mr. HARKIN. Mr. President, I am proud today to speak in support of 
the confirmation of Dr. David Satcher to be our Nation's Surgeon 
General and Assistant Secretary of Health.
  I want to speak about Dr. Satcher's qualifications for these 
important jobs, but first I want to quickly comment on the 
circumstances that have led to the delay of our consideration of his 
nomination. I think the course of events that have taken place is very 
unfortunate. I think whenever we let certain political views interfere 
with the public health, we are doing the American people a great 
disservice. It has been 3 years since we have had a Surgeon General. 
That has not been good for this country. It has created a vacuum of 
leadership on public health issues. I hope that once everyone has had a 
chance to voice his or her opinion on his nomination we can quickly 
move ahead and fill the longstanding vacancy.
  Mr. President, as chairman and as now ranking Democrat on the 
Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, I have 
had the pleasure of working very closely with Dr. David Satcher since 
he has been the head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 
in Atlanta. Over the past 4 years, he has directed the CDCP with 
integrity, compassion, and a commonsense approach. Because of his 
leadership, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has 
successfully addressed some of the most pressing public health 
challenges facing our Nation by promoting health and preventing 
disease, injury, and premature death.
  Mr. President, let there be no mistake, the position of Surgeon 
General is an important one. Americans look to our Nation's top medical 
official for leadership and guidance on a number of critical health 
care issues. For example, one of our most honored Surgeons General, Dr. 
C. Everett Koop, used the office's bully pulpit to further public 
awareness of the dangers of smoking, and he was a courageous advocate 
for public health measures to address the growing AIDS crisis. Now 
those are big shoes to fill, but I can think of no one more qualified 
or capable than Dr. David Satcher.
  In 1992, I worked with former CDC Director William Roper to change 
the name of the CDC from the Centers for Disease Control to the Centers 
for Disease Control and Prevention. We added the word ``prevention'' to 
the name. Now, Dr. Roper has moved on, but under Dr. Satcher's 
direction the CDCP has truly lived up to its new name.
  Since he took the helm, Dr. Satcher has spearheaded a child 
immunization initiative, upgraded the Nation's ability to detect and 
respond to emerging infectious diseases, and he has expanded the 
participation in the agency's breast and cervical cancer screening 
program.
  Dr. Satcher has taken the lead in creating an early warning system to 
detect and prevent food-borne illnesses and did the bulk of the work on 
the first-ever Surgeon General's Report on Physical Activity and 
Health, which outlined ways in which all types of Americans can be more 
physically active. These initiatives have been very successful, and 
they have made the CDCP renowned worldwide for its leadership on 
prevention efforts.
  As many of you may know--and I will probably repeat a lot what has 
been said here, but I think it is worth repeating--Dr. Satcher has a 
distinguished background. President of Meharry Medical College from 
1982 until he was named Director of the CDCP in 1993. At Meharry, he 
gained national recognition as an able administrator, and his 
leadership has been accorded wide recognition.
  In 1986, he was elected to the Institute of Medicine of the National 
Academy of Sciences for his leadership skills.
  In 1996, Dr. Satcher received the prestigious Dr. Nathan B. Davis 
Award for outstanding public service to advance the public health. He 
has also received Ebony Magazine's American Black Achievement Award in 
Business and the Professions in 1994, and the Breslow Award for 
Excellence in Public Health in 1995.

  Most recently, Dr. Satcher has received the James D. Bruce Memorial 
Award for distinguished contributions in preventative medicine from the 
American College of Physicians. He has received the John Stearns Award 
for Lifetime Achievement in Medicine

[[Page S507]]

from the New York Academy of Medicine, and the Surgeon General's 
Medallion for significant and noteworthy contributions to the health of 
the Nation.
  These awards all testify to the fact that Dr. Satcher is a talented, 
compassionate doctor, researcher and administrator who, throughout his 
career, has committed himself to caring for those less fortunate and to 
focusing on preventative health care. Dr. Satcher's lifelong commitment 
to improving the health of the American people began not long after he 
survived a near fatal brush with whooping cough as a child. Because of 
this experience, he understands how important it is to have a Surgeon 
General who communicates clearly with the people about health-related 
issues and policies that can literally save their lives. He has strong 
and practical positions on ways to improve the public health, and as 
Surgeon General and Assistant Secretary of Health, he will provide a 
positive and articulate voice on some of our Nation's most important 
health issues.
  The Atlanta Journal and Constitution stated in an editorial endorsing 
Dr. Satcher:

       He is the right man at the right time for these positions.

  I can think of no truer statement, Mr. President. So I look forward 
to concluding this debate, hopefully, on a positive note. I look 
forward to seeing Dr. Satcher confirmed as our Nation's Assistant 
Secretary of Health and Surgeon General. America needs a Surgeon 
General. We need that leadership, and Dr. Satcher is the best person 
for that job.

                          ____________________