The Public Health Service was originally established to provide medical care to sick and disabled seamen. Today the scope of their service includes educational activities, the provision of medical care, and activities on the forefront of biomedical research. I commend the members of the Public Health Service not only for their commitment to public health, but also their willingness to serve, and to contribute to the prevention and eradication of diseases. Before being elected to the Senate in 1994, I was a heart and lung transplant surgeon for many years. I'm away only for awhile.
Medicine exists to improve the life of another human being.
The primacy of the patient is the central focus of all that physicians do. The same can be said of public service and public policy. They exist to serve the best interest of the citizenry. As a physician, I had the opportunity to help one person at a time. The Officers of the Commissioned Corps of the Public Health Service have a long history of service to the American people.