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REMARKS BY:	SECRETARY SHALALA, SECRETARY OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
PLACE:		1999 Annual HHS Honor Awards Ceremony, Washington, D.C.
Date:  		May 13, 1999

We're here today to celebrate something very special: public service.

President Kennedy explained public service best when he said: "the energy, the faith, and the devotion which we bring to this endeavor will light our country and all who serve it."

But, it's sometimes too easy for those of us who work in government to forget just how important our work really is. That's why, I wish you all could have been with me last week.

I went to Fort Dix to meet some of the refugees from Kosovo, men and women who've seen horrors and suffered through tragedy few of us could even imagine. As I saw them arrive, carrying a few meager possessions, looking both anxious and excited, I recalled the images of many of our grandparents arriving at Ellis Island. But this time it wasn't the Statue of Liberty greeting the new arrivals, it was the employees of HHS.

HHS was coordinating the arrival of the Kosovars with the same teamwork and dedication we bring to every task. I saw the office of Refugee Resettlement handing out food and blankets. I witnessed the Public Health Service providing first aid and giving immunizations. And I talked to infectious disease specialists on hand to check for tuberculosis.

While I was there, I was approached by a young refugee. She couldn't have been more than 9 or 10. She opened her eyes wide and said simply: "Thank you for bringing me to America." But that young girl wasn't the only one to say, "thank you."

In the midst of the chaos of coming to a foreign land - one woman gave birth to a healthy baby. And in appreciation for the home and the hope our country had given them, his parents named him "Amerikan." With "thanks" like these, you don't have to look any further to find the meaning in our work here at HHS.

Of course, I really don't have to tell anyone here about the rewards of helping others. It shows in your powerful work ethic. Not just at Fort Dix, but everywhere the women and men of HHS practice your vocation. It's your commitment to making sure a project is done -- and done right; your willingness to pitch in and work hard as part of a team; and your creativity in solving difficult problems that speak for themselves.

Just read the headlines:

Cancer mortality rates are in decline.

AIDS erased from the top 10 causes of death.

Medicare and Medicaid getting stronger.

Teen birth rates declining for the sixth year in a row.

Infant mortality at an all time low. Our life expectancy at an all time high.

It's your work that helped make that happen. And that's why we're here today -- to honor our achievements as a department, but even more, to recognize the exceptional work of a select group of HHS employees.

Today, we're saluting the superior service of 32 groups and 18 individuals throughout the HHS family -- over 800 employees in all. Their remarkable leadership, innovation and creativity have produced extraordinary results.

Results like a simplified AZT regimen to reduce the transmission of AIDS. Results like extending health care coverage to uninsured children through CHIP. And, results like the National Guideline Clearinghouse, a website that helps health professionals improve the quality of care they provide to their patients each day.

As HHS employees, you've dedicated your working lives to solving some of America's toughest problems -- whether it's keeping tobacco out of the lives of our children or getting the Y2K bug out of our computers. Your commitment is what distinguishes this institution and makes us all proud to be part of this Department.

That's why it gives me great pleasure to commend each of today's honor award winners for their outstanding service. Their success and hard work serve to inspire us to be the very best Department we can be.

Each of us at HHS must continue to light the way for those who need our help - because our work matters to every single American, especially one newborn . a baby named, "Amerikan."

Thank you.