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REMARKS BY:  DONNA E. SHALALA, SECRETARY OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
PLACE: 	     WOMEN FOR HUMAN RIGHTS AND DIGNITY ANNUAL FORUM AND LUNCHEON, BUFFALO, NEW YORK
DATE:        April 7, 1998

I am proud and humbled to join the roster of men and women who have spoken to this Forum and Luncheon over the years. Extraordinary people such as Harry Belafonte, Bernice King, Susan Taylor, and our great friend, Betty Shabazz -- a woman who gave so much and endured so much, but always with great dignity.

But it is my special privilege to join you in celebrating a great milestone for women and children in Buffalo -- the grant from HUD to build Dignity Village. Many years ago, I had the privilege of serving with Patricia Harris when she was Secretary of HUD. By making Dignity Village possible, today's HUD -- led by a New Yorker named Andrew Cuomo -- is carrying out Patricia Harris's vision: That the way to keep moving forward is to not leave anybody behind.

Another great American has often said it takes a village to raise a child. And I would only add, it takes dignity in the village to put dignity in the child. But as mothers, daughters and sisters, our challenge today goes well beyond the boundaries of any one village. Our challenge is to build a dignity village for all women and children, across the nation, and around the world.

To build this village, we must continue the work that began two hours east of here and 150 years ago, in the town of Seneca Falls, New York. There, two women named Lucretia Mott and Elizabeth Cady Stanton began to change history for women -- and for America. At the first annual Women's Rights Convention, they issued a declaration of sentiments -- "that all men and women are created equal." It was a shout heard 'round the world. One newspaper called the convention "the most shocking and unnatural incident ever recorded in the history of womanity."

Well, praise the Lord for shocking women. For the rights they declared, for the fights they endured, and for the dignity they struggled to win.

With our blood, sweat, toil and tears, women are sending a tidal wave of human dignity cascading over the world with the force of Seneca Falls and Niagra Falls. The wave of dignity is crashing through the old barriers, lifting and carrying women and children too long stranded by oppression, isolation and poverty. I saw this wave of dignity flowing in Beijing, in 1995, at the Fourth World Conference on Women. Women came from all over the world -- women of different colors, wearing different clothing, speaking different languages. But they sent one clear message: That the progress of nations depends on the progress of women.

We have all heard the dignity flowing through the words of our greatest poets and patriots. We've heard it in the words of Toni Morrison, whose character Sula captures the essence of so many women who've made a difference in our lives. Women who are improvisational. Daring. Disruptive. Imaginative. Modern. Out-of-the-house. Uncontained. Uncontainable.

And who among us cannot still hear the voice of our dearly departed sister from downstate New York, our hero with the large hat and even larger heart, Bella Abzug. Bella, who was born the year women seized the right to vote, and who never stopped breaking down the barriers for us. She liked to say, "First they gave us the year of the woman. Then they gave us the decade of the woman. Sooner or later ... they'll give us the whole thing."

You can see the wave of women's dignity changing all walks of American life. The writer Sally Helgeson calls us the "everyday revolutionaries." Because women have changed how businesses are run; how families are structured; how communities are organized; how children are raised and taught; and how goods and services are conceived, marketed, and sold.

And you can see how women have reshaped the political landscape. We have more women in Congress, more women in the courts, more women in charge, and more women in the President's Cabinet. There's Madeleine Albright, Janet Reno, Alexis Herman, Carol Browner, Aida Alvarez, Janet Yellen, Charlene Barshefsky -- and me.

I have the distinction of being the longest serving Secretary of Health and Human Services ever. Around the time the President appointed me to this position five years ago, my mother sent me a cartoon from the New Yorker. You know you've made it when you show up in a New Yorker cartoon. The cartoon shows a little boy asking a little girl to play the proverbial game of "doctor." And the girl replies -- "sure, you be the doctor. I'll be the Secretary of Health and Human Services."

All this time as Secretary, I've tried never to lose sight of my basic mission -- helping the American people protect their health and well-being. So when you invited me to a forum called, "Your Health, Up Close and Personal," I accepted immediately. Because I want to talk with you about your health. About what you can do to live longer, live happier, and live better.

While I'm not David Letterman, I do have my own top ten list. I call it, "Donna Shalala's Top Ten Steps You Must Take To Protect Your Health."

I'm not talking about the "top ten things you might do." Or the "top ten things you can do -- when you have the time." I'm talking about ten steps for today. For every day.

Protecting your health is the best way to protect yourself from the top ten killers of women today -- heart disease and stroke, lung cancer, breast cancer and chronic lung disease. Pneumonia. Accidents. Diabetes. Colorectal cancer. Pancreatic cancer. Ovarian cancer. And kidney disease.

Let's face it. Women live longer than men. Why not enjoy life? They say living well is the best revenge. So I don't want to waste another minute. Here it is, Donna Shalala's top ten steps you must take to protect your health.

Number ten -- Get Active.

Look to your left, and look to your right. How many of you got any exercise this morning? This week? This month? If you didn't, you're not alone. America may be the land of the free, but we're also the home of the couch potato.

At the turn of the century, women covered about seven miles a day in their daily routines. Today, women cover less than two miles. By getting active, I don't mean putting on a leotard and doing step aerobics, although if you do, more power to you. And I'm not talking about having a hard body. I'm talking about having a healthy body. A healthy heart, blood, bones and brain. I'm talking about walking. Gardening. Taking the stairs if you can. Adding a few steps to your commute. Playing with the kids or the grandchildren -- that'll wear you out.

Activity is anything that keeps you moving. And I'm not talking about hours a day. I'm talking about 30 minutes five days a week -- preferably every day. And not necessarily all at once. Ten minutes here. Five minutes there. It all adds up. And activity counts at any age. Any level of ability. Even if you're using a wheelchair or crutches. In fact, that can be very strenuous.

But we know that physical activity reduces the impact of disease. People with diabetes have healthier sugar levels. People with arthritis need fewer pain killers. People with heart conditions reduce their risk of death. And people without these ailments can ward them off better. Check with your physician for the right type of activity for you. But like the ad says, just do it.

Number 9 is the opposite message: Just don't do it -- Don't smoke.

You know that smoking is the number-one preventable cause of death in America -- and it contributes to seven of the top ten killers of women. But nicotine attacks in other ways. It makes you look older than you are. It increases wrinkles at a younger age. It discolors your skin and your teeth. Second-hand smoke can also hurt your children -- especially if they have asthma. If you smoke, stop. It's not too late to quit. It can reduce your risk of heart and lung disease almost immediately. And start your body healing.

Number 8 -- Eat Smart.

We all know that means lots of fruits and vegetables. High fiber breads and grains. Fewer fried foods. Less meat, and if you eat meat, more chicken and fish. And if you're planning a pregnancy, you need to take folic acid to reduce the risk of birth defects.

But we all know eating smart isn't easy. I know when I see a table loaded down with hors d'oeuvre, cookies and pastries, it's hard to resist. But eating smart doesn't mean boring. It means balancing your diet. So I force myself to reach for a piece of fruit or a sprig of broccoli.

And if you drink alcohol, drink smart. Limit your intake. Don't drink if you're pregnant. Like exercise, every time you eat smart and drink smart, it adds up.

Number 7 -- Get Checked.

I want you to ask yourself: When's the last time you went in for a mammogram? A pap smear? A colon cancer screening? When's the last time you had your blood checked? Your blood pressure checked? Your moles checked? A flu shot, a tetanus shot, a pneumonia vaccine?

If it's been a while, on Monday, please, make an appointment.

If you're over 40, get a mammogram. And get one every year.

Get a flu shot every year, especially if you're over 60. If you dig around in the garden, you need a tetanus shot every 10 years. And if you've never gotten a pneumonia vaccine, get one -- and when you hit 65, you might need a booster shot.

You also need a pap smear, every one to three years. And you should have your blood pressure, cholesterol and bone mass checked as part of your regular physical.

If you're on Medicare, you'll be happy to know that it now includes new prevention benefits for women, including annual mammograms, pelvic exams, diabetes supplies, and colorectal cancer screening. Medicare beneficiaries also receive free flu and pneumonia shots.

And for everybody, blood pressure checks are free at many drug store and grocery stores. If your reading is higher than 140 over 100, talk to your doctor.

But you also need to check yourself out. If you feel a lump, get it checked. Be in touch with your body, your health. And check your family history for risk of heart disease, stroke, diabetes and other killers.

And just a reminder, unless you and your partner are in a long-term, committed relationship, both of you should protect yourselves -- and get tested regularly for HIV/AIDS and sexually transmitted diseases.

The time you take to check your health will add years to your life -- and life to your years. But an important part of getting checked is knowing your doctor and your health plan. With all the changes in health care, this is really crucial today.

So be a smart health care consumer. Do your homework. Comparison shop. Ask questions. Don't take "no" or "I don't know" for an answer. Get a second opinion. Be a pain. It's your right.

Number 6 -- Play It Safe.

Accidents are the leading cause of death in women aged 35 to 54. Many of the deadly accidents are preventable. In the car, buckle up. At home, look around. Are the lights too dim to see? Is the furniture becoming more of an obstruction than a decoration? And look out below -- they don't call them "throw" rugs for nothing. Studies show that 20 percent of women who fall and break their hips die within two years. So be careful.

Step Number 5 is crucial if you do slip and fall -- Watch Those Bones.

Recently, I did one of those milk mustache advertisements -- you may have seen it in the newspapers or magazines. It took eight hours to shoot this one photograph. I had to sit there with this goop on my lip -- a mixture of cream cheese, ice cream and milk -- which they had to keep touching up with a paintbrush. But I did it to publicize the need to drink milk for the calcium to fight osteoporosis.

All of us over 40 should be drinking milk. Skim is fine, or 2 percent. Because if you're over 40, your body starts robbing your bones of calcium so your heart and nervous system can function properly. If you don't keep adding plenty of calcium, pretty soon your bones will start to look like Swiss cheese, and become brittle. And brittle broken bones cause too many women to lose mobility -- and independence.

So ask your doctor for a bone mass measurement. And if you're covered by Medicare, this procedure will be covered starting in July. But starting today, get milk. Put on your milk mustache.

Number 4 on my list is, Take Medicine Wisely.

Did you know that 30 to 50 percent of Americans do not take their medications as prescribed? And that illnesses caused by medicine misuse cost us more than 76 billion dollars a year?

The FDA has launched a nation-wide campaign to urge women to take time to learn to use medicines wisely -- partly to protect them, and partly because in many households, women are the primary caregivers for their children, and often their own parents.

So if you take medicine, make sure you read the label ... follow the instructions to the letter ... and if you have any questions -- ask your pharmacist -- or your doctor.

So far, I've been talking mostly about your body. The next step -- Number 3 -- is about your mind.

You need to watch your mental health.

Stress is a fact of life for women. When you're balancing work and family and the demands of daily life, something's got to give. You've got to give yourself a break. Steal a moment for yourself to relax. Exercise will also relieve stress.

Depression is also a problem -- it strikes twice as many women as men. I'm not talking about the blues. Depression can be a disabling medical illness. If you are depressed, don't let anybody tell you it's all in your head. Get help. Depression can be treated, and treated quickly. And to ward off depression, stay connected to your family, friends and community. Get involved. That's what Women for Dignity and Human Rights is all about.

Number 2 -- Stay Aware.

We live in the Information Age. But with all the information out there, sometimes it seems like the Age of Confusion -- especially when it comes to your health. You've got the Internet. Network TV. 500 cable channels. Newspapers. Magazines. Talk radio. The tabloids. They're all telling you something. New breakthroughs. New findings. New treatments. New ways to live.

But health reports are like the weather -- wait a minute, they'll change. There are places you can trust for health information. If you have a computer and access to the Internet, I recommend my Department's Healthfinder web site.

It's at: WWW.HEALTHFINDER.GOV.

But whatever you read, whatever you hear, whatever you download from the Web, get a second opinion from a real expert -- your health care provider.

That leads to my final piece of advice -- my number-one step you must take to protect your health.

Aretha Franklin knew what I'm talking about: It's called R-E-S-P-E-C-T. Respect. Respect yourself. Think about yourself. Take care of yourself.

We can celebrate the strong women in our history until the Niagra Falls stop falling. But we'll never be truly strong if we're not healthy. The circle of dignity starts from within. Not just in our souls, but in the strength of our hearts ... our minds and our muscles ... our blood and our bones. I know you're busy with work and family. When you take care of others, there's not much time to take care of yourselves.

But if you don't take care of yourselves, you won't be able to take care of anybody. You owe it to yourselves. You owe it to those you love, and who love you. And yes, you owe it to womankind -- and humankind.

Sojourner Truth knew something about the strength of women. She said, "If the first woman God ever made was strong enough to turn the world upside down all alone, these women together ought to be able to turn it back, and get it right side up again!

If you want to change the world, if you want to enlarge the circle of dignity, then first, you must treat yourself with the dignity you deserve. So get exercise. Eat smart. Don't smoke. Get checked. Play it safe. Watch those bones. Take medicine wisely. Watch your mental health. Stay aware. And above all, respect yourself.