PRESIDENT'S TASK FORCE ON HEALTH







                                 Report to the President













                                      Washington, D. C.
                                      November 10, 1964


















                                      PRESIDENT'S TASK FORCE ON THE
                                    1965 LK;ISLATIVE PROGRAM ON HEALTH




                                                      November 6, 1964





                    The President
                    The White House
                    Washington, D.C.

                    Dear Mr. President:

                    The Task Force on Health respectfully submits the attached report
                    for your consideration.

                    In our deliberations, we have been mindful of your request that
                    we advise you of our Nation's needs in the field of health.

                    This report and our recommendations therein focus on what in our
                    judgment are today's most significant problems in bringing the
                    promise of good health to all our people.  The problems are complex
                    and not capable of easy resolution.  Within the time we have had
                    allotted we have sought to concentrate only on those issues of high-
                    est priority.  We believe that this report describes a program which
                    will go far toward achieving major health advances for the Nation.
                    We appreciate the opportunity to contribute in same measure to that
                    goal.

                                                      Respectfully yours,





                                                      George James, M.D.
                                                      Chairman


                    Robert C. Berson, M.D.
                    Ray E. Brown
                    Caldwell B. Esselstyn, M.D.
                    Raschi Fein, Ph.D.
                    Colin MacLeod, M.D.
                    Herman Somers, Ph.D.
                    William Stewart, M.D.








                                                                 38

                   Expensive Diacrnostic and Therapeutic Procedures
                progress in medical knowledge requires an increasing
          number of very expensive highly technical equipment  and
          services essential to the proper care of certain patients.

          These include such services as the artificial kidney, open

          heart surgery, and cranial arteriography.
                 It is not desirable for each hospital to have such
          facilities, equipment, or services, but it is  essential
          that every patient requiring these expensive  procedures

          and services have access to them.



          Recommndations

                 We recommend that:

                 1.  A GRANT PROGRAM BE DEVELOPED TO CONSTRUCT, EQUIP,

          AND ASSIST IN THE OPERATION OF A NETWORK OF CENTERS TO MAKE

          AVAILABLE HIGHLY COMPLEX AND EXPENSIVE DIAGNOSTIC AND

          THERAPEUTIC PROCEDURES TO ALL WHO NEED THEM.











  40