In one of his first major speeches since publishing a definitive study on the dire consequences on African Americans because of the healthcare gap, former U.S. Surgeon General Dr. David Satcher will offer the keynote address during the 5th Annual Salute to Excellence in Health Care Awards Luncheon.
The St. Louis American Foundation’s annual recognition of healthcare leaders in the St. Louis region will be held at the Adam’s Mark Hotel at 11:30 a.m. Saturday, May 7.
While overall longevity for both black and whites has improved over the past 40 years, the gap between the races has narrowed little, Satcher said in a paper published in the medical journal Health Affairs just three weeks ago.
Satcher estimates that elimination of this racial chasm would prevent 83,570 early deaths annually.
Eliminating the gap, according to Satcher, would save the lives of many African-American men between 35 and 47, because “gains in healthcare access generally have not included black men unless they were older or disabled.”
He uses Medicare, a subject of current political debate in Congress, as an example.
“When Medicare became law, the average black man did not live long enough to become eligible,” he said.
Factors include the relatively low incomes of black men compared with whites, a rise in gun-related deaths among blacks, their disproportionately high death rate from AIDS, and higher rates of heart disease and diabetes, Satcher said in his essay.
“This will be one of Dr. Satcher’s first chances to share his personal thoughts on his internationally acclaimed paper,” said St. Louis American Publisher Donald M. Suggs.
“St. Louis is honored to have this unique opportunity to hear first-hand his strategy on reducing this deadly separation in healthcare between races.”
Dr. William Peck, former dean of the Washington University School of Medicine and current director of the University Center for Health Policy, calls Satcher “a great national leader in health care.”
“In his many important academic and public roles, he has effectively promoted the health of the public,” said Dr. Peck.
“His powerful advocacy has markedly enhanced our understanding of the causes of disparities in access to healthcare and of approaches to their elimination. We are enriched as a nation because of his efforts.”
While his paper on healthcare has again vaulted him into media prominence, Satcher is best known as the 16th Surgeon General of the United States.
After leaving that national post, he became director of the National Center for Primary Care at the Morehouse School of Medicine and still serves in that role.
Prior to his appointment as U.S. Surgeon General, he was president of Meharry Medical College in Nashville.
Along with serving as chairman of the Healthy Schools Summit, he is a fellow at the Kaiser Family Foundation.
Satcher served as professor and chairman of the Department of Community Medicine and Family Practice at Morehouse School of Medicine.
His devotion to community healthcare might have first arisen during his time at UCLA.
A former faculty member of the UCLA School of Medicine and Public Health and the acclaimed King-Drew Medical Center in Los Angeles, he developed and chaired the King-Drew Department of Family Medicine.
As the interim dean of the Charles R. Drew Postgraduate Medical School, he negotiated the agreement with UCLA School of Medicine and the Board of Regents that led to a medical-education program at King-Drew.
He also directed the King-Drew Sickle Cell Research Center for six years.
Satcher graduated from Morehouse College in Atlanta and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. He received his M.D. and Ph.D. from Case Western Reserve University.
He says he wants to be known “as the Surgeon General who listened to the American people and who responded with effective programs.”
President Bill Clinton said at Satcher’s swearing-in ceremony on February 13, 1998, “He will give us plain talk and sound advice about what each of us can do to live healthier lives.”
Satcher says that his mother would have been pleased that “a person whose parents didn’t finish elementary school, and who nearly died from whooping cough himself, could grow up to become Surgeon General.”
American columnist and KMOX personality Carol Daniel and KSDK NewsChannel 5’s Rene Knott will emcee the event. Net proceeds are used to fund scholarships for local minority students.
VIP/Corporate tables of 10 are $750 or $75 per ticket. Individual tables of 10 are $500 or $50 per ticket and general seating tables of 10 are $350 or $35 per ticket.
For additional information, call (314) 533-8000, extension 305.
