Tobacco Documents Online

C_T 1~ 9o ._ P~3t.a? FOR RELEASE UPON DELIVERY TNURRDAY, OCTOSSR 11, 1990 *REKARRS BY =,OUIS W. SULLIVAN, M.D. S3lCRETJIRY 0F HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES METROPOLITAN LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY SECOND ANNUAL HEALTH IilaUES COttTLitErTCE NEW YORK, NEW YORK ?V O ~. C~7 ~ ~ *THIS TEXT IS THE SASIS OF SECRETARY sULLIVAN `S ORAL REMARKS. C77 C.: IT SHOULD BZ USED WITH THE UNDERSTANDING THAT SOME MATERIAL MAY BE ADDED OR OMITTED DURING PRESENTATION. ~

OCT 12 '90I12:39 AAAA-Wk3H P;GE.23 1 A few weeks ago at the Department of xealth and Human services, we released a report titled Iitalthy Paonle 20000 establilhing goals !or achieving better health for Americans during this deoade. Tn the report we nvte that Amerioan today are taking a mors active int.roat in their health than ever before. They are cominq to realize the influence that they, thsmselvas, can have on their own health destinies and on the overall health status of the nation. Until fairly recently, we Ameriadns gave far too little thought to maintaining our health. The past ls years or so, however, have witnessed important changes in our thinking about the protection and enhancement of personal health. More and more of us have come to realize that personal responsibility -- enlightaned behavior by each and every individual -- is the most important avenue to bettsr health.. Certainly this true with the disease that is the subject of our mesting todays onncer. And csrtainly thers is an urgent nsed to qet black Americans and other minorities to develop healthier behaviors. Over the past raw years, the United States has made qreat strides in research and treatment for cancer.

OCT 12 ' 9& :?': 38 AAAAr'~iPSH ?PGE.0j 2 Canaer deaths amonq psople under 63 are talling. The dacreass.is particularly dramatic in cancers where improved prevention, diagnosis, and treatment have been available for several years. For instanco: o Statistics shew decreases of more than so percent for d.aths from tasticular cancer and Hodgkin's disease; o childhood leukemia death rates have dacreasedl c For Americans under 65, mortality is declining for several other cancers, including those of the uterus, cervix, bladder, thyroid, atomaoh, ovary, colon and rectum, and pancreas. Nevertheless, cancer statistics are not as positive for minorities and medically-und.rserved populations. The tragedy is that many of those cases of cancer should have n.edsd treatment at all -- for they wera preventable. There's more to winning the war against cancer than research advances and an expanded knowledge basa. We also need to change behavior. Using what we already know about cancer d.tection, we could cut cancer death rates almost in half -- Ir individuals would improve their health behavior. n. nrr , 7 I oi1 I , ., 7. 1 n.'+I

CCT : 2' ' 90 12: 38 AARA-WA!SH 3 Nowhere is this more appazent than in aigaratte smokinq. More thIn a quarter of a century after th• Surgeon Gsn.ral published a landmark report on smoking, 50 million people still smoks -- mor• than ons-tourth of our population. Lighty-sevsn percent of all lung cancer deaths are dus to smoking. Slack Americans are bearing a disproportionate share ot smoking-related illness and dsath, because of a higher incidence of smoking than whites. We Pace a similar chall.ng• with Hispanic Americans. These are the chief reasons that, as the Secretary of Health and Human services, I an so vocal about cigarette advertising targeted to blacks and to women. We can no longer allow tobacco companies to go unchallenged when they cynically promote diseases and death in tha quisa of qlamour, or health, or sports. When a company introduces a cigarette brand targeted to blacks •- as R.J. Reynolds had planned to do with test marketing of a brand called nVptoiltt" -- it is reprehensible. Whari a compamy cortinuas promoting h.alth•r.lat.d activities like tenni tournaments with a deadly product like tobacco -- as Philip Morris has dons with "Virginia Slims" -- it is shameful.

CCT 12 '3© 12:3'9 aAAN-WRSH PAGE.ab 4 in order to counter the glamorous models and seductive advertisements, physicians and other health care proressiondls . must speak loudly, clearly and often, backed by the full authority of more than tw.nty-five years of definitive and scientific studies. We don't have tennis tournaments, car races, or other such tools of Suggaation and mdnipulation. So we have to use the tools we do have to counterbalance the tobacco advocates and big bucks advertising -- tools like our medical authority and our leadership in the community. When I asked R.J. Reynolds to end their "Vptown" test marketing campaign, they did so. a.nd the lesson is that we must speak out more often. Our voices can be a potent and powerful weapon to stop the tobacco industry lrom further penetration into our minority communities. I have asked advertising aqsnaies to reassess the impact of their own work and to voluntarily withdraw from the blood money offered by the tobacco industry. 1t sssms obvious that any ethical approach to business would factor the source of money, and the consequences of the us• of the product. Some publishers and ad aq.nci.s, especially many involved with minority publications, showed a rosponaibl• concern, and I applaud them for doing the right thing. ~ PaGE.z6

(DcT 1 2 'go 12': 39 APaA-WasH . r7 5 I also hope to see more advertising agencies work with groups like the American Cancer Society, the American Heart Assooiation, the American Lung Association and other groups to develop and run ads which paint a true picture about smoking. I would note -- since thic contersnes is sponsored by MatLif. -- that a good example of the private sector discouraging smoking is life insurance companies charging higher premiums for smokers, thus providing a financial reward for not smoking. Primarily du• to cigarette smoking; th. cancer death rata for black men is 40 percent higher than white men, and the cancer mortality rate for black women is 16 percent higher than white women. However, other poor health habits, such as neglecting to seek reqular care, also are contributing to a higher cancer death rate for blacks. While there are many mysteries about cancer, we all know one thing: early detection increases the likelihood for ours. Larly detection is particularly critical in two other types of cancer that are killing blacks disproportionately -- breast caneer, and prostate cancer.

[uiC- 12 "9(] i'2:'4& AAAA-L1ASH P4^GE . 08l 6 Yst, surveys show that fewer black womert ars aware of mammograms than whit• wom4n, we must also do a better job of educating b1aCk women about the need for pelvic examinations and PAP tests. Black men in the United states have a very high rate of prostate cancer. They ar• much more likely than white men to develop this cancer, and are twice as likaly to die from it. Again we must do a better job of educating about the ns.d for rectal exams. I believe governm.nt has a responsibility to make citizens aware of how to look after their own health. And I believe that government must work harder to develop a more e!lectiv., accessibls and affordable response to the health needs of all Americans, including members of our minority communities. President sush and I are working with the Congress, coamunity and church leaders, state governments and leadsrs in our minority communities to address thsss issue. i didn't comr to Washington to preside over the continuation of this disproportionate incidence of dissase, disability and death in our minority communities. .

OCT 12 ' 130 l?' 40 AAAA-WASf+!' PA'aE . 0,a 7 H.alth education for minoritiss is Just on• part of a $117 million minority health initiative we have proposed at the Department of Health and Human Servicss. 1) President Bush and I are askir,q for increased funding -- from S3.9 million to le3.9 million -- to rscruit mors health profsssionals into ths National H.alth Service Corps, who will serve in health manpower shortaqs ar.as. 2) Ws are asking for a $33 million program to provid• for primary health care in public housinq facilities. 3) we are requesting $5 million for a program of stat• qrants to help communitiss suffering from a shortage of medical professionals. 4) And we have asked for a doubling of funds for ths Office of Minority N.alth in HHS for a variety of proj.ots.

?CT 1? '90 12:41 AAFA-vFSH PRGE.Ia 8 All Americans should be aoncexned about minority health, not just minorities themselvee. For progress toward a healthier America will depend substantially on improvements for populations that are at especially high risk. Sach o! us has a financial -- as well as a moral -- stake in a healthier Ataerica. It is an important way to q.t health care costs under control attd help our international competitiveness. President Bush has asked m4 to look at possibilities for improvement in our nation's health cara system -- in financing, as wsll as aoeess. And in other speeches, I have been having a conversation with the American people on what we want from our health care system, and what we're willing to pay. One point that I hava eonsistently made is that an optimal health eare financing and delivery system should embrace the principle of individual responsibility for health, In order to qet health ears oosts under control, we must have better personal health habits by individuals so we can r.duce the need for medical intervention. Reqardless of access and costs, tamilies and individuals must still be our first line of detsnse in preventing illness.

9 In this respect, cancer prevention -- particularly by eliminating use of tobacco -- is part of creating a culture of character in America -- a culture of paopla taking personal responsibility for their own lives and those of-family xs.mbers. Personal responsibility is not a substitute for access to needed health care. But it is an essential part of confronting the nation's health problems, A culture of character makes good sense from a public health and public policy standpoint -- for a healthier society is a more productiv. dnd prosperous society. And I can think of no more important place to start in achieving th.s• goals than cancer prsvention. Don't smoke. Eat a proper diet. Seek regular medical car.. That is the message that black and other minority Americans must hsed in greater numbers, and it is incumbent on all of us to repaat the message over and over until it is haodsd. So I congratulate M.tLi=s for sponsoring this program today. Thanks for inviting s•, and thank you all for coming. MM## •