David Satcher’s confirmation as U.S. Surgeon General will give the
former Meharry Medical College president a leading role in a new
Clinton administration effort to improve health care for people of
color.
Satcher, Meharry’s president from 1982 to 1993, won Senate
confirmation February 10 and was installed in the post at a White House
ceremony shortly afterward. He won confirmation by a 63-35 vote after
moderate Republicans joined Democrats in defeating a filibuster from
conservatives.
One of Satcher’s first priorities is to help lead a new
presidential initiative on minority health. President Bill Clinton used
his national radio address on February 21 to announce the new, $400
million program designed to eliminate health disparities between Whites
and minorities.
The president said the plan would help address some troubling
trends, including data showing that prostate cancer affects twice as
many Blacks as Whites. Diabetes also is three times more prevalent
among American Indians than among Whites, said Clinton, who called such
disparities “unacceptable.”
Funds for the $40-million plan would flow over a five-year period,
not counting expected contributions from the private sector. Major
philanthropic organizations would kick off the effort with a national
conference on minority health this spring, according to the White House.
As the nation’s top physician, Satcher would help direct this
effort, officials said. The Surgeon General most recently served as
director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
before his confirmation.
The new initiative also would provide a new focus on minority
health at a time when similar federal programs may have to face cuts.
For instance, the federal government’s Office on Minority Health (OMH)
would get less money next year under the President’s new budget request.
