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Surgeon General’s Call to Action to Improve the Health and Wellness of Persons with Disabilities |
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The mission of the Commissioned Corps of the U.S. Public Health Service (Corps) is to protect, promote and
advance the health and safety of the people of this Nation. This means all people, but especially those who
are vulnerable. The Surgeon General’s Call to Action to Improve the Health and Wellness of Persons with
Disabilities (http://www.surgeongeneral.gov/library/disabilities) helps identify barriers to overcome and
suggests direction to improve the health and wellness of persons with disabilities and to promote their
engagement in school, in work, in worship, in family and in the overall fabric of life in ways unimagined
a century ago. It sets forth a vision for the future and challenges Corps officers, as it does all Americans,
to action. The work to achieve the vision of this Call to Action, however, must take place at the Federal,
State, tribal and community levels in policy and programs; in infrastructure and education; and in the hearts,
minds and actions of persons with disabilities and their families, health care providers—including paraprofessionals
and professionals—in the health care system, and a concerned, informed public. |
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This is where you, as Corps officers, can make a difference by striving to help to enrich the quality of
lives of persons with disabilities. This can be achieved through health care, access to health care,
education, encouragement, and behaviors in your daily activities, in your clinical or field settings, and
on deployment. The principle on which this Call to Action is based is: Good health is necessary for persons
with disabilities to have the freedom to work, learn, and engage actively in their families and their
communities. It is a principle that is easy to understand and easy for us as public health professionals
to apply to our daily work efforts. To make this happen, this Call to Action looks to reach the following
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- People nationwide understand that persons with disabilities can lead long, healthy, productive lives.
- Health care providers have the knowledge and tools to screen, diagnose and treat the whole person with a disability with dignity.
- Persons with disabilities can promote their own good health by developing and maintaining healthy lifestyles.
- Accessible health care and support services promote independence for persons with disabilities.
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The perception of disability is in transition. With the recognition that disability is not an illness, we increasingly
emphasize continuity of care and the relationship between a person with a disability and the environment at
the physical, emotional, and environmental levels. |
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The cost of disability to the Nation is measured not only in dollars, but in human lives. When a person
with a disability is “lost” because the existing health care system cannot provide the needed level of
care, it is a loss for everyone. Understanding the health and wellness of persons with disabilities is the
first step to help change that situation. That is what this Call to Action is all about; that is why
disability is a critical public health issue today. |
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