Senate Confirms Surgeon General Nominee Benjamin

Main Category: Public Health
Also Included In: Health Insurance / Medical Insurance
Article Date: 02 Nov 2009 - 0:00 PST

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The Senate on Thursday unanimously confirmed Regina Benjamin to be U.S. surgeon general, Roll Call reports. Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee Chair Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) said in a statement, "As we move in Congress to enact health reform that puts a sharp new emphasis on keeping Americans healthy, rather than treating them once they become ill, it is reassuring to know that we have a surgeon general who will back our efforts at the highest levels of public health" (Brady, Roll Call, 10/29).

Benjamin will oversee the operations of the Commissioned Corps of the Public Health Service and serve as the nation's chief health advocate and educator. She is the founder and CEO of the Bayou La Batre Rural Health Clinic in Alabama and a former chair of the Federation of State Medical Boards of the U.S. Benjamin was the first black woman to serve as president of a state medical society or be elected to the American Medical Association's board of trustees (Women's Health Policy Report, 10/8).

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