Summer 2003

Lieberman Outlines National Health Initiative at GW Address

Sen. Joseph Lieberman (D–CT), 2004 presidential candidate, unveiled a centerpiece of his election bid — development of an American Center for Cures — in an address May 21 at GW’s Marvin Center.

Borrowing from the rhetoric of John F. Kennedy’s 1960 inauguration address, Lieberman challenged the federal government to marshall its resources to fight the chronic illnesses responsible for three out of four deaths each year. “Heart disease takes nearly a million lives each year, making it the No. 1 killer in America,” said Lieberman to the crowd gathered in the Dorothy Betts Marvin Theatre. He added that someone is diagnosed with cancer every 30 seconds.

“The financial toll is of these diseases is shocking,” said Lieberman. “It costs $750 billion a year to treat chronic diseases. Think of how we could reduce the cost of healthcare and health insurance if we could cure a lot of these diseases.”

To add a human dimension to the staggering statistics, Peter McMurry described his battles with cystic fibrosis, before Frederick R. Rickles, associate vice president for health research and technology transfer, introduced the senator. McMurry recounted how, as a teenager, experts believed a cure was merely a decade away. Now in his early 30s, the condition of McMurry’s lungs has deteriorated and there is still no cure.

 

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