[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 6]
[Senate]
[Pages 7470-7471]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                        GLOBAL HEALTH CORPS ACT

  Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, on Tuesday, I introduced the Global Health 
Corps Act of 2005.
  As a doctor who has traveled the world treating patients in desperate 
and war-ravaged lands, this cause is near and dear to my heart.
  I believe, and I have seen, through the good works of many talented 
and compassionate men and women, that medicine is not only an 
instrument of health, but a currency of peace. Healing gives hope. And 
I have seen that real, tangible, medical intervention can help bridge 
the gaps and misunderstandings that so often divide cultures.
  We see that phenomenon in Afghanistan and Iraq. And we saw it in 
South East Asia in the aftermath of the terrible tsunami tragedy.
  Immediately, American military ships, planes and helicopters arrived 
to deliver food, water, medicine and tents to the devastated region. 
The U.S. Agency for International Development set up a 24-hour, 7-day-
a-week, Disaster Response Command Center here in Washington and abroad.
  Thousands of private citizens, religious groups, small businesses and 
large corporations sent tens of millions of dollars in donations to 
help aid the people of South East Asia. Many continue to keep giving. 
America's response, both official and private, was a portrait in 
compassion.
  I had the opportunity to travel to the region with the distinguished 
Senator Mary Landrieu days after the tsunami struck. Together, we 
surveyed the damage, assessed the humanitarian needs, and witnessed 
American compassion in action.
  We spoke to doctors, nurses, officials and victims. One doctor I met 
in Sri Lanka told me a remarkable story of compassion. He had e-mailed 
a plea for help just as the massive wave swamped his hospital. Within 2 
days, a team of Scandinavian physicians who had seen the e-mail arrived 
to set up a pediatric ward.
  Countless health care professionals from all over the world, both 
volunteers and government workers, rushed to the devastated region to 
offer assistance and supplies.
  The outpouring of support from the world community, led by American 
efforts, was truly extraordinary--a moving testament to our shared 
humanity.
  America is a giving nation. Indeed, America provides 60 percent of 
all food humanitarian relief in the world. Moreover, the generosity of 
private citizens significantly amplifies official efforts.
  It is this spirit of generosity that the Global Health Corps seeks to 
harness.

[[Page 7471]]

America possesses a vast reservoir of talent, knowledge, and compassion 
that can help heal, both literally and figuratively, our global ties.
  It was the famed violinist, Yehudi Menhuhin, who said:

       Peace may sound simple--one beautiful word--but it requires 
     everything we have, every quality, every strength, every 
     dream, every high ideal.

  Providing health care services and training to those in need is one 
positive step we can take to demonstrate our goodwill and high ideals, 
and by doing so, plant the seeds of hope and peace.
  The purpose of the Global Health Corps is twofold.
  First and foremost, the Health Corps will help to improve the health, 
welfare, and development of communities in foreign countries and 
regions abroad.
  In too many places, simple things like vaccinations, first aid, clean 
water, and hygiene are unknown or woefully inadequate. Men, women and 
children especially children--suffer terrible illnesses that can be 
easily prevented with basic health services.
  The Health Corps bill seeks to provide a range of services from rapid 
relief, like what we saw following the tsunami, to long-term assistance 
to address endemic public health issues. It provides services such as 
veterinary care, which is very important in developing countries, where 
livestock are frequently a family's means of nutrition, commerce, and 
wealth.
  A new Institute of Medicine survey issued today reports that one of 
the biggest obstacles to fighting HIV/AIDS in Africa is the severe 
shortage of medical personnel.
  Sub-Saharan Africa has 25 percent of the world's HIV/AIDS cases, but 
only 1.3 percent of the world's health force. In Rwanda, for example, 
there are less than two doctors per 100,000 people.
  If we are to maximize our help to these countries, we need to 
strengthen the medical delivery systems on the ground. HIV/AIDS 
medicine does no good sitting in boxes. Vaccines can't protect children 
from preventable diseases if there is no one to administer the shots. 
Strengthening the local infrastructure and teaching local citizens 
basic health skills will go a long way to addressing their medical 
needs.
  The second goal of the Global Health Corps is to deploy health care 
assistance as a tool of public diplomacy. John F. Kennedy recognized 
that our assistance to other nations carries the most weight when it 
involves personal, intimate contact on the community level and provides 
tangible benefits to everyday people. This is why he established the 
Peace Corps, and why this bill taps into the Peace Corps for 
volunteers.
  The new Global Health Corps will draw together health care 
professionals and volunteers from around the Nation, from both the 
private and public sectors.
  Some Health Corps volunteers will be seasoned doctors, nurses, and 
medical technicians. Others will enter the program with simply a 
passion for public health, a willingness to learn, and a desire to help 
others.
  The U.S. Government is already doing a great deal of work in these 
areas. But the Global Health Corps will pull it all together, 
coordinate and focus our efforts, and tap into the private sector both 
private organizations and individuals--to multiply our efforts.
  Like members of the Peace Corps and our many volunteers abroad, the 
Global Health Corps will serve as a shining example of the American 
people, our charity and goodwill.
  In a speech in San Francisco on the eve of the 1960 Presidential 
election, John F. Kennedy made the stark but compassionate observation 
that:

       There is not enough money in all America to relieve the 
     misery of the undeveloped world in a giant and endless soup 
     kitchen. But there is enough know-how and enough 
     knowledgeable people to help those nations help themselves.

  Indeed, as the famous proverb counsels:

       Give a man a fish and he's fed for a day. Teach him how to 
     fish and he will be fed all of his life.

  I am proud that Senator Lugar, Chairman of the Senate Foreign 
Relations Committee, is co-sponsoring my bill. I urge my colleagues to 
join us in this vital mission.
  In a world that is ever more connected by planes and computers, 
markets and movements, our fate is bound ever closer with that of our 
neighbors--near and far, wealthy and poor. I call upon my colleagues to 
advance our common humanity. Helping heal others abroad--and showing 
them America's heart--will help all of us stay safer at home.

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