Viewing page 102 of 196

This transcription has been completed. Contact us with corrections.

[[image - black & white photograph of a meeting with President Nixon]]

August 5, 1970 

STATEMENT TO PRESIDENT RICHARD M. NIXON

READ BY DR. JULIUS HILL, NMA 

Mr. President:

We are very appreciative of having this opportunity to bring to your attention some deeply disturbing problems affecting the black and other minority people of this nation. 

As you recall, Mr. President, you stated on July 9, 1969 that the nation was in the grips of a severe health crisis. Two days earlier we had met with then Secretary of Health, Education and Welfare, Robert Finch and underscored our concern about the worsening health crisis in the United States. 

We are here today to sketch the nature of that crisis and to seek alleviation of it as swiftly as possible. 

A. The Health Crisis is dependent on:

1. Socio-economic patterns in black and other minority communities leading to:
a. severe, depression level unemployment 
b. unbelievable malnutrition afflicting the 40 million of our less fortunate fellow Americans
c. poor educational programs and facilities that cause more "push outs" than "drop outs" among our black and other minority students along the educational pathway

Such conditions result in cultural syndromes of abysmal poverty, being buttressed by: 
a. poor environmental conditions such as slum housing, vermin running rampant and pollution of all types 
b. inadequately designed service facilities of all types and  
c. devastatingly severe manpower shortages 

We believe, Mr. President, that certain aspects of the health crisis demand immediate attention and can be solved forthwith! The most important of these for the moment is the acute shortage of funds for black and other minority students of $2 million for aid this fall -Fall 1970! On last Friday, July 31, we explained to secretary Richardson how these funds need to be allocated.

The next acute problem is the Federally sponsored and controlled, anachronistic planning Freedman's Hospital, Howard University, based on 1961 standards which today, would not meet most of the Federal health program requirements. We believe that, you, as President of the United States, cannot allow such a development to occur. Otherwise, the Federal Government would be in violation of various laws and regulations! We would believe that such a project should, instead, be a model for the nation to follow and $60 million dollars would be a small price to pay for construction of the Howard hospital facility.

Howard and Meharry Medcal[medical] Schools are millions of dollars below national average expenditures for medical schools. Since these schools are a significant source for the production of black and other minority physicans[physicians], but by no means the only source, their continued welfare is a priority of the greatest national concern. Even if the Administration did seek the full funding for health manpower as it has not, heretofore done, these schools would share a few hundred thousand dollars more in operating assistance since the overall needs of all schools is tremendous. We, therefore, urge that the Office of the President of the United States employ all available mechanisms, governmental and private, to meet the millions of dollars by which these institutions are deficient. 

The national Medical Association offers our assistance to meet all these critical needs as previously noted in any manner of form the President suggests.