Former Health Secretary: Simple Act of Kindness Inspired Her Work
By Joy Blackburn
Friday, October 16th 2009
St. John - An act of kindness by a black laundress to help out a white co-worker decades ago helped influence the move to improve health care for minorities across the nation. That is what Ambassador Margaret Heckler - a former U.S. Congress member, former secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and U.S. ambassador to the Republic of Ireland from 1985 to 1989 - told attendees as the conference on minority health disparities got under way Thursday at the Westin Resort.
In 1984, during her tenure as Health and Human Services secretary, Heckler created the first Task Force on Black and Minority Health to look into existing programs and find ways to improve the longevity and health care of minorities. The result was a landmark report, now called the Heckler report, that revealed significant gaps in health status among Americans of different racial and ethnic groups.
The report was an impetus for addressing health inequalities for the nation's racial and ethnic minorities and led to the opening of the Office of Minority Health within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, with a mission of addressing health disparities, according to information from the Office of Minority Health and Health Disparities. Heckler was the keynote speaker for the Caribbean Exploratory Research Center's second annual Health Disparities Institute on Thursday morning.
She spoke about the formation of the task force and the work to address minority health disparities - and she spoke about a personal experience that made a major impact on her life. Heckler said that when she was growing up, she lived with a family on Long Island - a family who "lived well" in a big house. The wife was an Irish immigrant and the husband was Danish, Heckler said. The wife used their large home to offer her hospitality to many Irish immigrants who came to New York, Heckler said. However, the husband died young, and in addition to Heckler, the wife took in her two sisters and her niece. Eventually, Heckler said, the money ran out and the woman, named Belinda, had to go to work. She found a job working as a laundress in the city. "One day, Belinda became very ill," Heckler said, adding that Belinda needed to take time off, but also desperately needed someone to take over her job until she was better so that she did not lose the position. Belinda called some of the people who had been guests in her home, asking them to help her with the job while she was sick, but she received no help and no support from friends, Heckler said. Then, Heckler said, the black woman, named Christina, who worked as a laundress at the machine next to Belinda offered to take care of Belinda's work while she was sick. "She said, 'Belinda, don't worry; just get well,'" Heckler said, noting that Christina did both her job and Belinda's job "for a considerable period of time." "The story of Christina was a very big part of my heritage," Heckler said, adding that when Belinda was well, she thanked Christina by inviting Christina to her home and serving Christina a meal wearing a white uniform. "She said, 'I can only serve Christina. I am not worthy to sit with her,' " Heckler said. Heckler said Christina's act of kindness influenced her life. Years later, when Heckler announced the formation of the task force looking into minority health, she said she thought of Christina. "I said in my heart, 'Christina, this is for you,'" Heckler said.
Heckler noted the progress that has been made in addressing minority health disparities over the years, but said there is still much work to be done. That work, she said, must include a focus on prevention of disease and health education. She also advocated for government partnerships with the faith community to help address minority health disparities and achieve optimal wellness for all.
She told those who attended the conference to use their influence and step up to lead the charge in improving health care for minorities, reminding them of the influence that Christina's act of kindness for Belinda had on Heckler's life. "You don't know your own strength," she said. "You are the leaders of this issue and this time."
The conference will continue today, with presentations on culture and health disparities, a roundtable discussion on culture, and concurrent sessions on health beliefs and behaviors, HIV/AIDS and women's health and on sickle cell disease.
See more photos in the gallery at our SAMHSA MFP, ANA Facebook Fan page.