REMARKS BY:             TOMMY G. THOMPSONSECRETARY OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

PLACE:                           Film Premier of:  "No Greater Love," Washington, D.C.

DATE:                            April 9, 2002

"The Importance of Organ Donation"

Thank you, Claude, for your kind introduction. We are truly fortunate to have your leadership at the Department of Health and Human Services. You do a wonderful job.

I thank all of you for joining me for tonight's premiere of "No Greater Love" - a very moving documentary that follows the tragedies and triumphs of some very special families.

We are honored to have some of these families with us tonight. Thank you for being here and for so generously sharing your stories with us.

We've recognized the donors and recipients who are here tonight with a red flower wrapped in a green ribbon - symbolizing their gift. I'm so very proud to be here with all of you as we watch tonight's premiere of "No Greater Love."

I want to thank again the sponsors of tonight's reception. Thank you so much for your generosity and support.

I want to thank Banyan Communications (Ban-yan) - Al Admire (Ad-Mire) and Banyan's talented production crew, for creating tonight's documentary and helping to raise awareness of organ donation.

I also thank Wisconsin Public Television - - the sponsoring station for tonight's documentary. WPT is working closely with the National Center for Outreach to get out the word to 300 local Public Broadcast stations about airing this documentary, thereby getting out the word about the importance of organ donation.

And, I would also like to thank all those who came from far away to be here with us tonight.

You know, until recently, if you saw me in public, odds were that I was talking about anthrax, or smallpox, or vaccine procurement.

But I prefer to be here, discussing the gift of life - rather than the threat of bioterrorism. We live in a changed world, a world that places new and unexpected demands upon us all.

But you can be certain that our commitment to organ donation is as strong as ever.

When I arrived in Washington, D.C., last year, one of my first acts was to establish the Gift of Life Donation Initiative, a five-part program to increase awareness and promote donation.

Last year, when this initiative was launched, one of the elements was the Workplace Partnership for Life. Today, we have more than 1,000 Workplace Partners who are helping us to create awareness about organ donation and educating their employees about the urgent need for organ donors.

We couldn't do it without you - - all of our Workplace Partners, I salute you tonight. Thank you for your leadership on this issue.

Our other initiatives included a model donor card that may make it easier for Americans to make their preferences for organ donation known.

We now have an organ donor website - organdonor.gov - that gets about 40,000 hits a month. Two thousand of these hits specifically download an organ donor card from the site.

We also are convening a national forum on donor registries, to look at ways to improve the institutional mechanisms for distribution and allocation of organs.

We are creating a model driver's education curriculum that states and localities can use to educate their drivers about the choice to donate.

And, of course, we are committed to the Gift of Life Awards, both on the national and at the state levels.

These initiatives are only the beginning. I promise you, my commitment to this issue will not waver. It is far too important.

You, my friends, obviously are committed to the cause - - because you are with us tonight. So please - talk to your friends, your family, your neighbors, and your co-workers.

I cannot emphasize enough how important this is. When you choose organ donation, you are giving the greatest gifts of all - hope and life.

But just as important is sharing the decision to become an organ donor - it's just as important as making the decision. You need to tell your loved ones that you want to be an organ donor.

I know that it may be somewhat uncomfortable to talk to your loved ones about what should happen in the case of an unforeseen accident. But I encourage you to do it - to sign up as an organ donor and then discuss it with your loved ones.

If your loved ones don't know your wishes, then how will they be able to make such a difficult decision if tragedy strikes?

There are currently more than 79,000 Americans on the national waiting list for organs. That's seventy- nine thousand men, women and children. More than 46 percent of these represent minorities. And yet, in the year 2000, only 23,000 organ transplants were performed.

And the list keeps growing. My friends, we must change this. We CAN change this.

For our donors and recipients, I thank you all for coming tonight. I thank you for your compassion in helping others know the gift of life. I thank you for your strength.

And most of all, I want to thank you for sharing your stories so that others may know the importance of organ donation and the gift of life. May God bless each and every one of you.

And now, it is my special privilege to introduce Dr. Ken Moritsugu, the Acting Surgeon General of the United States.