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REMARKS BY:	DONNA E. SHALALA, SECRETARY OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
PLACE:		Soap Summit II, New York, N.Y.
DATE:		Sept. 6, 1996

A lot has changed since then.

I no longer need to turn on the TV to catch the melodrama and madness of soaps -- because now I live in Washington, D.C.

Yes, I know that the American people think that the House of Representatives should be renamed, All My Children. And yes, in true soap opera style, I did tell the President we could bring our party "back to life" after the '94 elections, by declaring that Newt's victory was just a dream.

But in the spirit of David Lettermen, I do have ten reasons why Washington, D.C. is even hotter than The City and viewed by the rest of America as Another World.

Number 10. Meetings always end with the same three words: To be continued.

Number 9. One day you're Anonymous, the next day you're more famous than you ever wanted to be.

Number 8. Lots of fan mail -- none of it suitable for children.

Number 7. The most commonly asked question in Washington is: "Can you fix what I said in editing?"

Number 6. Interesting dialogue: Everybody talks, nobody listens.

Number 5. When you watch life in Washington your own seems more normal.

Number 4. You know you're having a bad morning when you open the paper and next to your name is the word: canceled.

Number 3. In Washington, when people say "Break a leg" -- they mean it.

Number 2. Washington is a city with a million lawyers -- and they all want speaking parts.

And the number one reason Washington is a great soap opera: It brings Entertainment Tonight to C-SPAN.

That's a very important point: Daytime television is entertainment. It is fun, compelling, dramatic and an escape into the lives and emotions of your memorable and mysterious characters. Take the entertainment out of daytime television, and you might as well take joy out of laughter or fireworks out of the 4th of July.

So I don't believe that soap operas should be wrung free of the tears and tensions, the romance and ruin that have kept millions of people tuned in since the early days of radio. And I don't believe that government should run onto the set yelling, "Rewrite!" After all, in this nation, we have a precious First Amendment that we all must honor. And besides, I come from a Washington world where people still think that if you have something really important to tell the American people -- hand them a brochure.

In fact, when I told people how I was spending my Friday night, a lot of them asked, "Why? The soaps can't help you. They don't have anything to do with public health. Forget it!"

And I will tell you what I told them.

Believe it or not, you are part of the public health system.

And, when it comes to helping Americans get accurate public health information, I will happily -- and shamelessly -- speak to anyone who reaches into the hearts and minds of millions of Americans.

That's you.

You increasingly fill the vacuum once occupied by traditional institutions -- from family to religion, and from schools to communities. With light, shadow, words and emotion, you reach over 40 million viewers a day -- and you reach them where they live.

When soap opera lovers talk about the trials and tribulations of their favorite soap characters, you'd think they were talking about their best friends. They tape the shows, watch them during lunch hour, and frantically read up on -- or quiz their friends about -- episodes they've missed. That's loyalty -- loyalty elected officials can only dream of.

Like problems in life, your storylines don't begin and end in an hour. They stretch on over time, captivating their audiences every step of the way. That gives you a golden opportunity to dig beneath the surface and offer real answers.

But will you?

The answer is up to you.

So I'm not here to preach to you. But I'm not here to say that nothing has to change either. I'm here to challenge you as professionals, parents, and citizens to use your incredible power to help us transform a national tragedy into a national triumph. It begins with a story that I have been telling to entertainment industry leaders all across the country.

And tragically this one is true.

It's a picture of families in trouble, of young people at risk, and of the challenge all of us face to give this story the right ending. Here's the scene: Enter today's parents -- looking exhausted.

These parents are working longer hours -- with less job security and less time to spend at home. Many are single and raising children alone. They're worried about paying their bills. They're worried about their health and about the violence spreading its tentacles into their communities and homes. But more than anything, they're worried about the welfare of their children -- especially their teens and pre-teens.

And with good reason.

In the last five years, teenage marijuana use has continued to rise. Our Administration believes that this is a very serious problem -- a problem that has its roots in the tragic myth that marijuana is a "soft drug" that won't do you any harm. That's dead wrong -- and we need to send that message out to every parent and every child in America.

But that's not all we must do.

Because, every day in America, 1.2 million young people have at least 5 alcoholic drinks; 3000 start to smoke; and nearly 1400 drop out of school. Every day in America more than 1000 teenagers give birth out-of-wedlock; 15 lose their lives because of guns; and approximately 25 are infected with HIV. To put it bluntly, we have an entire generation at risk.

Let me be clear: None of this is your fault -- but it is your problem. It is my problem. It is our problem, an American problem, and together we have a responsibility to help solve it.

Together we must ensure that all caring adults -- especially parents -- are engaged in the lives of young people; that they talk to them often and early; and that they have the tools they need to help their children bypass dangerous minefields -- like drugs, AIDS, smoking and teen pregnancy -- and make safe passages to adulthood.

The fact is, for most parents, raising children is more than a daily drama -- it is a difficult and confusing struggle that can be made much less so with good public health information.

For example, we know that we can prevent more than half the deaths in the United States by getting Americans to stop smoking, eat right, and be physically active. And because of a new report we're releasing today, we know that adolescents who live with two biological or adoptive parents are far less likely to use alcohol, cigarettes and illicit drugs.

This new study confirms what we've been saying all along about the power of keeping families together. Young people who live with both their parents are far more likely to have the strength and the resilience they need to make smart choices with the only lives they'll ever have.

So, how do we take this information and bring it into the livingrooms, dens and kitchens of all Americans?

That's where you come in.

I'm speaking to you as a talented and privileged few, with great power, but also great responsibility. That's why I'm asking you to fold into your stories accurate, life-saving information about these issues. I'm asking you to never forget that your audience needs to see not just anger and betrayal, but also the painful consequences of domestic violence, preventable disease and absent fathers; the unglamorous dead end that is too often reached when young people start down the dangerous road of drugs, alcohol, tobacco, and teen pregnancy; and the dreams not just deferred, but ended.

I understand that you are entertainers by trade. And I understand that you need to be ever mindful of the bottom line of profits and ratings. But there is another role and another bottom line that I'm challenging you to pay more attention to: It's your role as citizens and guardians of the public trust.

And, it's the bottom line of our children and our families.

I know that your industry is already making great strides on this front. General Hospital did its Emmy Award winning story on AIDS -- helping teenagers across America understand that they are not immune, and that AIDS is not about "them", it's about "us".

Click the channel and we've also seen a family raising a Down Syndrome child, and a teen heroine who uses a "Baby Think It Over" doll to teach -- "frighten" would be a better word -- her boyfriend about the round-the-clock needs -- and screams -- of an infant.

This last story grew out of the first soap summit -- and it shows that your message can change without changing your ability to hold an audience spellbound. In fact, tomorrow The Kaiser Family Foundation is issuing a content analysis that shows that AIDS and condoms are appearing more often in story lines.

But, they're still the exception -- not the rule.

Clearly, we must do more. That's why I'm asking you to take a larger role in a great national drama to improve the health and lives of all our citizens. I'm asking you to think about the public health consequences of each and every show. Because, none of us are born knowing how to be good parents. Parenting is learned -- it is a lifelong process. And, your shows can -- and should -- help.

So if you're doing a story about a kid using marijuana, you have a golden opportunity to help parents recognize the warning signs -- and understand the importance of sending clear anti-drug messages to their children. If you're doing a story about the problems and rewards of parenthood, take the opportunity to show that children win when both parents take emotional and financial responsibility for them. If you're doing a story about a teenager getting pregnant, consider making the plot not just about passion, but about the consequences -- the poverty and lost futures that our research shows unwed mothers and their children are likely to face.

If you're doing a story about a character's struggle against domestic violence, why not run our toll-free Domestic Violence Hotline number as part of the credits, so families in pain know where to go for help. And if the story is about breast cancer, try working mammography into the script so that viewers understand how to catch cancer early -- when they can treat it and beat it.

And if you're doing a story about a young girl who fears she's HIV positive, take the opportunity to show parents sending the right messages to their children about the power of abstinence, and how to protect themselves against this insidious virus.

I know -- and you know -- that education and entertainment can go hand in hand. And they must. I understand that your production schedules are grueling -- and that up-to-date public health information isn't just laying around the set.

So I've come here tonight to offer more than a challenge. I've come to offer help. I've come to make it easy for you to not only touch your audiences, but teach them.

At our department, we have up-to-date statistics about drugs, alcohol and tobacco. We have access to the best experts on issues ranging from depression to domestic violence, and from AIDS to breast cancer -- in fact, to any disease or disability. We have information about approaches that work to cut down teen pregnancy, promote health, protect families from abuse, collect child support payments, and move people from welfare to work.

You write the drama and develop the characters, and we'll be there with the accurate information you need on any topic -- anytime. That's why I'm pleased to include in the packet you received tonight a number you can call at HHS -- and a disk with useful information -- so you can get the facts you need, when you need them.

When I made the same offer at the Talk Summit, the naysayers lamented that the talk show producers would simply put our resources in their circular file. They were wrong.

After the Summit, the calls started coming in -- and the information started pouring out. It is my hope that this second Soap Summit will strengthen the dialogue between leaders in public health and the entertainment industry.

Because as the President has said over and over again, government doesn't raise children. Our schools don't raise children. The media doesn't raise children. Parents raise children -- but all of us have an obligation to give them a helping hand.

From TV to teachers, from athletes to artists, and from parents to public leaders -- it's going to take all of us -- privileged enough to have the trust of families -- to do everything in our power to honor -- not undermine -- that trust.

That means as the world turns -- and changes -- we need to shed more light, not just create more heat, about the problems facing young people. We need to look in close-up at the real lives of millions of families who find escape in soap operas -- but have yet to escape violence, lack of education, and preventable disease. And when all is said and done, we need to ask ourselves, when given the choice and the power, did we choose to have a positive effect, a negative effect, or no effect at all?

Because when the lights dim and the credits roll, millions of people will still be waiting -- waiting for tomorrow's story, and for ways to rewrite -- for the better -- the story of their own lives today.

Thank you.