The Inaudible Language
of the Heart
Cardiovascular Research
Institute Board Meeting
April 12, 2000
Thank you for that
kind introduction. It is my great pleasure to welcome you to campus. On
behalf of the Medical University, I want to express our appreciation to
each of you for your willingness to serve on this Board. We know that
you have many other important commitments, so your involvement here is
even more meaningful.
This Board is being
founded as I begin my term as President of the Medical University. For
that reason, it has a great deal of personal significance to me. I take
pride in the fact that we are undertaking a significant new commitment
to cardiovascular disease research, prevention and treatment at this time.
For obvious reasons, it is very important to me that we are successful
in this effort. I pledge to you, therefore, my complete dedication and
support to the Board and to the Institute.
In setting the stage
for this meeting, I thought that it might be useful for me to talk about
why the Medical University is undertaking this initiative. Given my background
in public health, it probably will not surprise you that I would address
this question from a broad societal point-of-view. Probably everyone here
is aware of the fact that heart disease is the leading killer of Americans.
What you may not know is that South Carolina has the fifth highest death
rates from heart disease. Each year, over 10,000 South Carolinians die
from this disease. That means that every day, about 28 persons in this
State die from heart disease. During every hour that we meet this morning,
another South Carolinian will succumb to heart disease.
As you probably realize,
stroke is another manifestation of degenerative disease of the vascular
system. South Carolina has the highest death rate from stroke of any state.
The stroke death rate in South Carolina is almost 50 % higher than the
national average. The so-called "Stroke Belt" runs from North Carolina
to Louisiana, and South Carolina is the buckle on the Stroke Belt.
Why is the situation
in South Carolina so dismal? The answer to that question is not quite
as simple as it may seem. We can point to many contributing factors, not
the least of which are the demographics of this State and our traditionally
high rate of poverty. Of course, a concomitant of poverty is poor access
to health care. South Carolina ranked 12th nationally in the percentage
of the population who lack access to primary care. About one in seven
South Carolinians do not have a regular source of primary care. This percentage
is almost half-again as great as the national average.
The citizens of our
state also do not lead particularly healthy lifestyles. For example, we
might consider the prevalence of one of the leading risk factors for heart
disease and stroke Æ cigarette smoking. Almost one in three South Carolinian
males smokes — a level that is 17% higher than the national average. Other
risk factors for cardiovascular disease, such as obesity and consuming
a high fat diet, also are prevalent in our state.
Some health conditions
that predispose to cardiovascular illness, such as hypertension and diabetes,
are unusually common among our citizens. South Carolina's death rate from
diabetes, for example, is the 7th highest in the United States and it
is almost one-fifth higher than the national average.
These factors then,
our demographics, poverty, poor access to primary health care, unhealthy
lifestyles, and predisposing morbidity, all contribute to the high death
rates of South Carolinians from cardiovascular disease. Perhaps I should
pause at this point and ask the question: "So what?" What difference does
it make that South Carolinians have these poor health indices? Why should
the Medical University, or this Board, or any other group of informed
citizens, care about this issue?
To me, the answer
to this question must be found in the essence of what we want to be as
a society. Do we aspire to live in a state in which people are able to
reach their full potentials? Or are we, on the other hand, content to
accept with equanimity that some lives are less valued simply because
of poor social, economic, and educational circumstance? I would not presume
to speak for everyone in this room. Your very presence here, however,
suggests that you are committed to reducing the burden of illness among
our people.
Without question,
the Medical University is so committed. We have declared this intent in
our mission statement - the opening line of which defines our core purpose
as: "to preserve and optimize human life in South Carolina and beyond."
I take these words very seriously — they are not simply a motivational
mantra, they are articles of faith. Underlying everything that we do as
an institution must be a fundamental belief that we are here to improve
the quality and longevity of the lives of our fellow citizens. Learning,
discovery, and service — the holy trinity of academic pursuits — are merely
means to a greater end. For us, that greater purpose, that raison d'etre
is to preserve and optimize human life.
This then brings us
full circle to this Institute and my vision of what it can mean to the
Medical University and to the people of South Carolina. We stand today
on the threshold of a grand experiment - the outcome of which can only
be imagined. It is an experiment in which all of us, you and I, will be
observers, but we will also be participants. As we launch this effort,
let us set our aspirations high.
My dream is that this
Institute will become a center of discovery, where insights into the basic
mechanisms of cardiovascular disease will be translated into innovations
in clinical care. I see our laboratories populated by the brightest scientists
working tirelessly to advance knowledge and communicating their cutting
edge work to their colleagues throughout the world.
I see clinicians testing
new treatments, bringing to the bedside the advances that emanate from
our laboratories. I see patients, treated with dignity and compassion,
coming to this Institute because of its reputation for state-of-the-art
care. In my vision, the most advanced diagnostic and therapeutic devices
and equipment will be used to provide the least invasive management of
patients that is possible. The most talented young clinicians will be
attracted to learn the latest techniques, and many will stay on to develop
their careers here.
The Cardiovascular
Research Institute should create an environment in which the patients,
clinicians, and scientists all feel that their interests are aligned in
perfect harmony. The caregivers will work as partners with the patients
and their families, developing treatment plans together. The data gathered
in providing this treatment will be collected and analyzed in order to
improve care on this campus and elsewhere.
The Institute will
reach out to communities throughout South Carolina providing basic education
in reducing the risk of heart disease. Collaborations will be established
with churches, schools, and other organizations in the community to reach
a broad range of citizens. Special efforts will be made to detect and
treat high blood pressure and diabetes mellitus. Smoking cessation, weight
management and exercise programs will be developed and offered through
a variety of venues.
Screening programs
will be run to detect elevated cholesterol and other factors that predispose
persons to cardiovascular disease. Through partnerships with retail drug
stores and pharmaceutical companies, lipid-lowering agents and blood pressure
medicines will be offered at low or no cost. The Institute will coordinate
clinical trials to test the efficacy of new agents for the prevention
and treatment of cardiovascular disease.
The intellectual property
developed as part of the discovery process at the Institute will be licensed
and patented for commercial application. In some instances, the technology
developed will form the basis of start-up biotechnology companies that
will obtain venture capital, grow in a research incubator, and spin-off
into successful corporate enterprises.
In short, the Cardiovascular
Research Institute will become a center of excellence in all aspects of
research, education, and clinical care. It will achieve this status, however,
not for the glory of those who work here, but for those who will derive
the ultimate benefits of this work — the people of South Carolina. The
demonstration of that benefit will become manifest by a lowering of the
prevalence of obesity, hypertension, diabetes, elevated blood cholesterol,
and cigarette smoking. The ultimate reward will be realized in reductions
in the death rates from heart disease and stroke.
Now I will readily
confess that this vision is grand indeed. It is larger than any single
individual, even a great leader such as Mike Assey. It will not be achieved
without an unprecedented level of commitment from many persons within
and outside of this institution. It will require the formation of partnerships
with other health care providers. It will not happen quickly and it will
not occur without setbacks.
Yet it is possible.
If there is a will to make it happen, then it will happen. If the collective
talents of those engaged in this effort are put to coordinated action,
we can succeed. The real question is are we, those of us gathered here
this morning, up to the challenge?
This brings me to
the role of the Board. You are here, as I indicated earlier, not as observers
only, but as active participants. You were selected for this Board because
you are leaders in the community. By bringing you together as a group,
in essence we are uniting the community in this effort. We will call upon
you for your advice, we will call upon you for your support, we will call
upon you for your participation, and we will call upon you for your advocacy.
To be successful,
however, this Board must own the process and the outcomes. You must be
self-starters and set your own agenda. We are not hoping that you will
follow us, but rather that you will take an active role in leadership.
We want you to draw encouragement from us, but equally important, we need
you to bring energy to us.
In closing, I would
like to remind us all that our purpose here is literally and figuratively
about the heart. I searched a bit for a quotation that embraced both the
literal and figurative expression of that purpose. In that process, I
came across a sentiment from the 1964 Nobel Prize address of Reverend
Martin Luther King, Jr. In that speech, Reverend King said that: "Occasionally
in life there are those moments of unutterable fulfillment which cannot
be completely explained by those symbols called words. Their meanings
can only be articulated by the inaudible language of the heart." We are
in search today of 'unutterable fulfillment', which can be realized through
service to our fellow citizens. If we are so fortunate as to be successful
in our efforts, then we will find 'their meanings articulated by the inaudible
language of the heart.'
I thank each and every
one of you for your commitment to join this Board and to participate in
this meeting. I pledge to you my absolute commitment to this effort and
I pray with all my heart that we find the unutterable fulfillment that
we seek. Thank you. |
