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United States Surgeon General Dr. David Satcher presents the Dean's Distinguished Lecture. |
The statistics sound daunting: black infants are 2 1/2 times as likely as white infants to die within the first year of life; Hispanics are two times as likely as whites to have diabetes; and since 1980, the suicide rate has doubled among black teenagers. But United States Surgeon General David Satcher, MD, PhD, is committed to making progress in eliminating racial disparities in healthcare, he said during the sixth annual Dean’s Distinguished Lecture at the Wayne State University School of Medicine. Two lecture halls were filled to maximum capacity with students, faculty members and administrators who provided repeated standing ovations and great applause in support of Dr. Satcher’s plans to improve public health.
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Dr. Satcher addresses a standing-room-only audience at the School of Medicine. |
"We have some golden opportunities carefully disguised as irresolvable problems," Dr. Satcher said. "Together, we can change the outcomes for many people." He notes that although public health problems are national issues, this is a community-based challenge. "Without question, all public health is local. Unless things happen in communities across the country, we’re not going to solve problems," he said.
In keeping with President Clinton’s initiative on race, Dr. Satcher has targeted six areas in which he hopes to improve access to care, prevention and early detection for minorities. They are: infant mortality, immunization, HIV/AIDS, cardiovascular disease, diabetes and cancer. Dr. Satcher believes addressing the risk factors and behaviors associated with these six areas will improve many other health problems, too.
"We struggle to put together a better system, but the healthcare system must be viewed as part of the public health system," Dr. Satcher said. While it’s true that many deaths are directly related to unhealthy personal behaviors, Americans--and particularly minority populations--need better resources, sound medical advice and improved access to care.
Americans expect more from the health care system than they are getting, said Satcher. "I want to be known as the surgeon general who not only spoke to the American people, but also listened and responded to the needs of the American people."
Dr. Satcher’s visit was hosted by Robert Sokol, MD, dean of the WSU School of Medicine, who established the Dean’s Distinguished Lecture in 1993 to provide a forum for education and discussion of issues related to academic medicine with relevance to physicians, administrators and other health care professionals. The event was also held in conjunction with WSU President Irvin Reid’s inauguration week.