[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 14 (Thursday, February 14, 2002)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E145]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

[[Page E145]]



            DR. DAVID SATCHER, THE PEOPLE'S SURGEON GENERAL

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. EDOLPHUS TOWNS

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, February 13, 2002

  Mr. TOWNS. Mr. Speaker, during this month long recognition of Black 
History Month it is a privilege for me to honor the second African-
American to serve as this country's U.S. Surgeon General, Dr. David 
Satcher. Tomorrow, Dr. Satcher will conclude his term. I rise in 
recognition of the leadership, compassion, dedication and vision that 
he has exhibited during his tenure as the 16th Surgeon General of the 
United States.
  A native Alabaman and graduate of Morehouse College, Dr. Satcher 
received both his M.D. and Ph.D. from Case Western Reserve University 
in 1970. After years of study, Dr. Satcher put his expertise into 
practice first as a faculty member at the UCLA School of Medicine and 
Public Health and later as Chairman of the Department of Family 
Medicine at the King-Drew Medical Center in Los Angeles, where he also 
directed the King-Drew Sickle Cell Research Center for 6 years. 
Returning to his alma mater in 1977, Dr. Satcher then went on to serve 
as professor and Chairman of the Department of Community Medicine and 
Family Practice at Morehouse School of Medicine before being elected 
President of Meharry Medical College in Nashville, Tennessee, a post he 
held from 1982 to 1993.
  A learned, well-educated professional and a father of four, Dr. 
Satcher entered public service in 1993 as the Director of the Centers 
for Disease Control and Prevention and Administrator of the Agency for 
Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, posts he held until 1998 when he 
assumed his current position as Surgeon General. During the period of 
February 1998 to January 2001, Dr. Satcher served simultaneously in the 
positions of Surgeon General and Assistant Secretary for Health.
  As Surgeon General, Dr. Satcher advocated for and worked towards the 
promotion of healthy lifestyles, the improvement of the mental health 
system, and the elimination of disparities in health. Mr. Speaker, The 
National Center for Health Statistics reports that 60 percent of 
Americans more than 20 years of age are overweight or clinically obese 
and that weight-related conditions are the second leading cause of 
death in the United States, resulting in about 300,000 preventable 
deaths each year. What is so sad is that most of these deaths can and 
should be prevented. Realizing this, Dr. Satcher used his office to 
focus national attention on nutrition; he educated Americans about the 
value of maintaining a balanced diet with more vegetables and less 
sugar, and he stressed the necessity of regular exercise. Recognizing 
the fact that obesity can substantially increase a person's risk of 
illnesses such as breast, colon, ovarian, and prostate cancers, as well 
as type 2 diabetes and heart disease, I would like to personally thank 
the Surgeon General on behalf of all Americans who have undoubtedly 
benefited from the preventative efforts he initiated and oversaw during 
his tenure.
  Believing in the importance of mental as well as physical health, Dr. 
Satcher also worked to improve the mental health system to one of 
caring and support--not blame and stigmatization--and towards the 
developing of sound strategies for suicide and violence prevention. 
When Congress called for the development of a national strategy for 
suicide prevention, Dr. Satcher wholeheartedly embraced the challenge 
and responded with the dynamic leadership that has become his 
trademark. The National Strategy for Suicide Prevention was published 
in May 2001 and I am proud to say that we now have a unified, governing 
text to guide our national effort to prevent the loss of the nearly 
30,000 lives claimed annually by suicide.
  In addition to his efforts to promote healthier American lifestyles 
and to better the condition of the mental health system, Dr. Satcher 
also acted in an effort to eliminate socio-economic based disparities 
that remain prevalent in the U.S. healthcare system. He was not afraid 
to address controversial issues, like needle exchange, when he felt 
that a change in public policy would save lives. Using the best 
available science, and operating under the belief that the entire 
nation benefits from the protection of the health of the most 
vulnerable, Dr. Satcher and his team focused on six key issues, infant 
mortality, child and adult immunizations, HIV/AIDS, cardiovascular 
disease, cancer screening and management, and diabetes, all of which 
have an especially large impact on minority populations.
  Dr. Satcher's goal while in office was to be remembered as the 
Surgeon General who listened to the people and who always responded to 
their needs and concerns. Looking back on the last 4 years from the 
vantage point of this last day of Dr. Satcher's term, it is abundantly 
clear that he more than accomplished that goal, and that indeed he far 
exceeded it. Dr. Satcher not only lent an ear to those with a voice, 
but spoke up for those whose voice could not be heard. In all that he 
did as the 16th Surgeon General of the United States, Dr. Satcher 
always acted as a true and honest servant of the people. And for this, 
for his dedicated service to American healthcare, his country commends 
him.

                          ____________________