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News Release

SECRETARY THOMPSON URGES MINORITY COMMUNITIES
TO "TAKE A LOVED ONE TO THE DOCTOR" ON TUESDAY
Hundreds of Communities, Organizations Join Second Annual Observance

HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson today called on racial and ethnic minority communities to help eliminate health care disparities by participating in Take a Loved One to the Doctor Day on Tuesday, Sept. 16.

Minority communities suffer disproportionately from diabetes, heart disease, HIV/AIDS, cancer, stroke and infant mortality. Doctor Day is a cornerstone of the Department's Closing the Health Gap educational campaign designed to improve health among racial and ethnic minority populations. The focus of the day is to encourage individuals to take charge of their health by visiting a health professional; making an appointment for a check-up or screening; and encouraging a friend, neighbor or family member to do the same.

"Today, thousands of Americans are showing their family, friends and colleagues how much they care by taking someone to the doctor. This one preventive measure can help add years to your life," Secretary Thompson said. "Preventable diseases take a terrible toll on our nation, especially in minority communities. Doctor Day is about bringing people to health care early, when diseases can be prevented or treated successfully; it is also about creating awareness, providing information and motivating Americans to make healthier lifestyle choices."

For a second year, HHS is partnering with Closing the Health Gap co-founder ABC Radio Networks on this initiative. Tom Joyner, an ABC radio personality, is the honorary chair. Radio Unica, a radio network with significant reach into Hispanic communities, is a new partner this year and is providing support through on-air messages and 12 regional health fairs throughout the fall.

This year, Doctor Day has expanded beyond the African American community to include Hispanic American/Latino, Asian American and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native communities. More than 400 national, state and local organizations spanning 50 states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico have partnered with HHS to promote Doctor Day and host activities in their communities.

Highlights include health fair screenings, on-site applications for Medicaid and the State Children's Health Insurance Program, free transportation to health care facilities, panel discussions, health center events, activities for children and special broadcasts on the national Tom Joyner Morning Show. HHS officials, including Deputy Secretary Claude Allen, Surgeon General Richard Carmona, Deputy Surgeon General Kenneth Moritsugu, Assistant Secretary for Aging Josefina Carbonell and Deputy Assistant Secretary for Minority Health Nathan Stinson, are participating in many of these events nationwide.

Doctor Day is just one of many innovative programs within the department that focuses on prevention. As a whole, HHS has been emphasizing the simple things Americans can do every day to reduce their risk of many of the most threatening health problems, including heart disease, stroke, diabetes and cancer. For example, heart disease is linked to obesity and smoking. Quitting smoking, eating 5 to 9 servings of fruits and vegetables each day, exercising at least 30 minutes at least five days of the week and visiting a doctor regularly will lead to a longer, healthier life.

Under Secretary Thompson's leadership, HHS has emphasized prevention in communities of color. In recent years, this Administration has increased funding for research, expanded the State Children's Health Insurance Program, increased the number of community health centers and launched an initiative to increase the numbers of influenza and pneumococcal vaccinations in African American and Hispanic American adults 65 years of age and older. In addition, HHS' National Institutes of Health today is announcing $60.5 million in grants to create eight Centers for Population Health and Health Disparities. These are designed to support cutting-edge research to understand and reduce differences in health outcomes, access and care.

For more information on the Closing the Health Gap campaign, visit http://www.healthgap.omhrc.gov. Information on Take a Loved One to the Doctor Day is also available through this website or by calling 1-800-444-6472.

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Note: All HHS press releases, fact sheets and other press materials are available at http://www.hhs.gov/news.

Last Revised: September 12, 2003