[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 49 (Thursday, April 5, 2001)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E570]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  APRIL 26, 2001 IS NATIONAL D.O. DAY

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                          HON. JOHN D. DINGELL

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, April 4, 2001

  Mr. DINGELL. Mr. Speaker, Thursday, April 26, is National DO Day. We 
recognize the more than 47,000 osteopathic physicians (D.O.s) across 
the country for their contributions to the American healthcare system. 
On National DO Day, more than 500 members of the osteopathic medical 
profession, including osteopathic physicians and medical students, from 
40 states will descend upon Capitol Hill to share their views with 
Congress.
  For more than a century DOs have made a difference in the lives and 
health of Americans everywhere. They have treated presidents and 
Olympic athletes. They have contributed to the fight against AIDS and 
the fight for civil rights. DOs are represented at the highest levels 
of the medical profession. Indeed, the U.S. Assistant Secretary of 
Defense for Health Affairs, the chief medical officer for the U.S. 
Coast Guard, and the Surgeon General of the U.S. Army are all 
osteopathic physicians.
  As fully licensed physicians able to prescribe medication and perform 
surgery, DOs are committed to serving the health needs of rural and 
underserved communities. They make up 15 percent of the total physician 
population in towns of 10,000 or less. In addition, 64 percent of DOs 
practice in the primary care areas of medicine, fulfilling a need for 
more primary care physicians in an era marked by the growth of managed 
care.
  More than 100 million patient visits are made each year to DOs, 
making them the physician of choice for many people. That's because DOs 
approach their patients as ``whole people.'' They don't just treat a 
specific illness or injury. DOs take into account home and work 
environments, as well as lifestyle, when assessing overall health. This 
distinct approach provides Americans with the highest quality of 
healthcare--patients seen as people, not just illnesses or injuries.
  From the state-of-the-art healthcare facility in a major city to a 
clinic in a rural Michigan community, DOs continue to practice the kind 
of medicine that Andrew Taylor Still envisioned over 100 years ago when 
he founded the profession.
  I am pleased that on National DO Day more than 30 representatives of 
the osteopathic medical profession will be visiting our Capitol from 
Michigan. These representatives are practicing osteopathic physicians 
and osteopathic medical students from the Michigan State University 
College of Osteopathic Medicine. To the nearly 5,000 osteopathic 
physicians in Michigan, the approximately 520 students at MSUCOM and 
the 47,000 DOs represented by the American Osteopathic Association--
congratulations on your contributions to the good health of the 
American people. I look forward to working with you to further our 
mutual goal of continually improving our nation's healthcare.




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