U.S. Surgeon General Richard H. Carmona, M.D., M.P.H., FACS, released "The
Surgeon General's Call to Action to Improve the Health and Wellness of
Persons with Disabilities," appealing to all Americans to help increase the
quality of life for people with disabilities through better health care and
understanding.
"This Call to Action is a call to caring. Every life has value and every
person has promise," Surgeon General Carmona said. "The reality is that for
too long we provided lesser care to people with disabilities. Today, we must
redouble our efforts so that people with disabilities achieve full access to
disease prevention and health promotion services."
Developed by the Surgeon General in collaboration with the HHS Office on
Disability, the Call to Action describes the particular challenges to health
and well being faced by persons of all ages with disabilities and identifies
four goals that, together, can help people with disabilities experience
full, rewarding and above all healthy lives as contributing members of their
communities.
"Americans with disabilities often face unique challenges to achieving good
health," HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt said. "As with the American's with
Disabilities Act, this Call to Action is a reminder that people with
disabilities are important members of our society, and that including them
in all aspects of American life is not only required by our nation's law,
but also by our nation's conscience."
Today, 54 million Americans, or one in five people, are living with at least
one disability, and most Americans will experience a disability some time
during the course of the lives. Some individuals are born with a disability;
others acquire them through an illness, an injury, genetics, or any number
of other causes.
"We must learn to recognize the abilities of persons with disabilities," HHS
Director of the Office on Disability Margaret Giannini, M.D., FAAP said.
"People with disabilities can learn, get married, have a family, worship,
vote, work, and live long, productive lives. We need to make sure we treat
them as active members of our society."
The "Surgeon General's Call to Action to Improve the Health and Wellness of
Persons with Disabilities" is available at www.surgeongeneral.gov.