Welcome greetings from U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Richard Carmona

March 28, 2005

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Greeting to my friends and colleages in Miami,

It is a great pleasure to recognize the City of Miami and It's Mayor, Manny Diaz and School Officials for taking a proactive step towards saving lives in the schools of Miami Dade County. By bringing the Save A Life Foundation programs to these school children, they will be taught how to help themselves and those around them in times of an emergency through basic Life Supporting First Aid Skills. Also Important within this initiative is the placing local EMS professional in the classrooms as instructors, and as role models for the students to learn from, and possibly to follow in the footsteps of, as future health care professionals. We all come from different backgrounds and can all benefit from the guidance of mentors to help us get on the right path and achieve our full potential.

As a high-school drop-out, I didn't exactly have a straight career trajectory to the Office of the Surgeon General.But I've also served as an Army Special Forces medic in Vietnam, aparamedic, an ER nurse, a trauma surgeon, and a Sheriff's Deputy. Each ofthese varied experiences prepared me for the job
I have today as the 17th U.S. Surgeon General.

As part of my current Initiative called "The Year Of the Healthy Child" We too will be working with the Save A Life Foundation, (Affilaite of the President's Citizen Corps) They recognize the importance of teaching kids basic lifesaving.

We know that kids even as young as 5 can learn to recognize an emergency, look both ways to cross a street, and call for help.We need to all work together to ensure age-appropriate injury prevention and response education.

Bystanders are the first to encounter an emergency, and quite often if a child is hurt the bystander is another child. So we must give him the tools to help his friend. By teaching every child in America basic life supporting first aid skills, we can save lives.

I commend you in Miami for working with youth organizations and schools to teach these techniques.

Good luck and Good health to all involved in this essential and empowering endeavor.

Sincerely
Vice Admiral Richard H. Carmona, M.D., M.P.H.,F.A.C.S. Surgeon General, U.S.
Public Health Service, Department of Health and Human Services