     
|
An Interview with Dr. Joycelyn Elders — ASCD 2002 Annual Conference Keynote SpeakerHi, I'm Kathleen Burke, Director of ASCD's Annual Conference. Welcome to ASCD's Annual Conference Online 2002. Joining us now from her home in Little Rock, Arkansas is Dr. Joycelyn Elders, former Surgeon General of the United States. Dr. Elders, you're an advocate of comprehensive health education from kindergarten through 12th grade. How close are we to achieving that goal in the United States? You know, only 5 percent of schools offer a comprehensive health education program from kindergarten through 12th grade. There are 50 million children in schools every day. What better opportunity than to offer health education? Most schools offer a health class in junior high school or high school, but of course that's not enough. We need to offer more. We need a comprehensive health education program that addresses not just sex, but talks about drugs, alcohol, smoking, eating properly, and all of the other things that we need that we know is a part of a comprehensive program. What are the most important things K-12 schools can do to ensure public health? I think the most important thing the schools can do to ensure the health of the children and the health of the public, of course, is what you do best: education, comprehensive health education, K-12, including all nine components — nutrition, physical education, self-esteem, primary preventive care, immunization, sexuality and reproductive health, healthy school environment, all the things that we know are so important. And I feel that schools should be able to take advantage of the CHIP program — CHIP is the Children's Health Insurance Program — to provide health care for the 13 million children that we have in our country that are uninsured. And, you know, one of the things that just really unravels me, the United States, despite being the richest country in the world, ranks behind 11 other countries in how we take care of our children and how we educate them, and then we're 54th in health care. So I don't feel that we do a very good job of educating our children or providing health services for them. What kind of school-linked health services are most needed, and what will it take to provide them? The school-linked health services that I think are most needed: Obviously, first of all is education, health education from K-12. Then we need primary preventive health services. Everybody has agreed that we need at least one school nurse per every 750 students. And very few schools have that. I don't know the percentage, but it's far less than 50 percent of our schools. Our government has $100,000,000 that was left over from the CHIP program. What better place to spend that than at schools? Instead, we are spending millions of dollars on an abstinence-only sexuality education program, which has been shown to offer no benefit. So, you know, I think that we as parents, we as community, we as schools, need to inform our politicians what children need. Dr. Elders, what do you plan to share in your keynote address at the ASCD conference? I'll certainly address the problems faced by the 50 million children who attend the temple of betterment every day, attempting to prepare themselves for the 21st century. I'll talk about some of the problems that they face: drugs, alcohol, sex. I'll also discuss some of the strategies that we need to take to make a difference. And what I consider the role of educators, public health educators, parents, community, and politicians to make a difference, to make our children number one and prepare them to be healthy, educated, motivated, and in good health for the future. Thank you, Dr. Elders. And thanks to our Internet audience for tuning in to one of a series of online programs previewing the ASCD's 2002 Annual Conference in San Antonio. Check back this time next week when we'll post the next program, featuring Theresa Lewellan. Before you leave this site, take a few minutes to visit the ASCD Annual Conference web page for the latest conference updates. I'm Kathleen Burke. Dr. M. Joycelyn Elders Dr. Elders attended the University of Arkansas Medical School (UAMS) on the G.I. Bill. After graduation in 1960, she was an intern at the University of Minnesota Hospital in Minneapolis and did a pediatric residency and an endocrinology fellowship at the University of Arkansas Medical Center in Little Rock. She also holds a Master of Science degree in biochemistry. Dr. Elders joined the faculty at UAMS as a professor of pediatrics and received board certification as a pediatric endocrinologist in 1978. Based on her studies of growth in children and the treatment of hormone-related illnesses, she has written many articles for medical research publications. She was appointed Director of the Arkansas Department of Health in October 1987. While serving in that position, she was elected president of the Association of State and Territorial Health Officers. She was nominated as Surgeon General of the U.S. Public Health Service by President Clinton in July 1993 and sworn in September 8. During the Senate hearings on her confirmation, Dr. Elders stated, "I want to change the way we think about health by putting prevention first. I want to be the voice and vision of the poor and powerless. I want to change concern about social problems that affect health into commitment. And I would like to make every child born in America a wanted child." She resigned from the post in December 1994 to continue her professional career at the University of Arkansas School of Medicine. Dr. Elders has been active in civic affairs as a member of the Little Rock Chamber of Commerce, Northside YMCA and Youth Homes. She was listed in 100 Outstanding Women in Arkansas, Personalities of the South and Distinguished Women in America. She has won such awards as the Arkansas Democrat's Woman of the Year, the National Governor's Association Distinguished Service Award, the American Medical Association's Dr. Nathan Davis Award, and the National Coalition of 100 Black Women's Candace Award for Health Science. Dr. Elders has also received multiple honorary doctorate of medical sciences degrees and honorary doctorate of letters degrees. Kathleen Burke |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
PREVIEWING THE CONFERENCE
TOP