Dec. 11 / Administration of William J. Clinton, 2000

are sick—sick, sick. So you don’t want that to it was democratic—small ‘‘d’’—with the Tele- ever happen again. communications Act, the E-rate, hooking the schools up to the Internet, so that—and finally, Science and Technology Accomplishments that we dealt with the scientific and techno- Mr. Sawyer. Mr. President, we’re talking logical implications of national security—biologi- about science and technology. And your admin- cal warfare, chemical warfare, cyberterrorism— istration is coming to a close. In years to come, that we prepared America for those things. looking back, how would you like the adminis- I think that will be our legacy in this area. tration to be remembered in this area? Mr. Sawyer. Mr. President, thank you for The President. First, I would like to be re- talking to us. membered for a serious commitment to pushing The President. Thank you. America forward and keeping us on the fore- front of science and technology in two or three areas. We reorganized and revitalized the space NOTE: The interview was taped at 3:30 p.m. in program, kept it alive, and kept it moving. We the Cabinet Room at the White House for later had a very serious attempt to deal with the broadcast, and the transcript was released by the climate change in the development of alternative Office of the Press Secretary on December 11. energy sources and conservation. We finished In his remarks, the President referred to Prime the sequencing of the human genome and began Minister Jean Chretien of Canada; and Repub- to work on its practical implications. We worked lican Presidential candidate Gov. George W. Bush on—that’s what the whole nanotechnology issue and Vice Presidential candidate Dick Cheney. A and all that. And fourthly, that we worked on tape was not available for verification of the con- information technology and tried to make sure tent of this interview.

Remarks on the Childhood Immunization Initiative and an Exchange With Reporters December 11, 2000

The President. Thank you very much. And They have worked very hard on this for the let me say, I took a lot of pride just listening last 8 years, and we have made some remarkable to Mrs. Carter speak here. She seemed right progress. at home. I want to recognize also Dr. Walter Ornstein When Hillary and I moved into the Arkansas of the CDC and Shirley Watkins of the Depart- Governor’s mansion in 1979, Betty Bumpers ment of Agriculture, who will be very active began her lifelong campaign to wear me out in the steps that I’m going to announce today. about immunizations. [Laughter] And I re- I think it’s worth noting that we’re meeting minded Rosalynn that it was in 1979 or 1980 in the Roosevelt Room, which was named for that we actually did an immunization event in our two Presidents and Eleanor Roosevelt. And the backyard of the Arkansas Governor’s man- Franklin Roosevelt spent almost half his life in sion. I can’t remember whether it was ’79 or a wheelchair as a result of polio. And I was ’80 now, but it was, anyway, a year or 2 ago. part of the first generation of Americans to be So I can’t thank these two women enough immunized against polio. for what they have done. And I was marveling, And I remember, as a child, seeing other when Mrs. Carter was going through all those children in iron lungs. And I remember what issues, at just how well she knows and under- an enormous elation it was for me and my class- stands this issue. So I’m very grateful to both mates when we first got our polio vaccines, to of them, because we wouldn’t be here today think that that’s one thing we didn’t have to if it weren’t for them. worry about anymore. It’s hard for people now I also want to thank Secretary Shalala and who weren’t alive then and weren’t part of it Secretary Glickman and, in her absence, Hillary. to even imagine what that meant to a whole

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generation of children. But it was profoundly single largest point of access to health care for important. low-income preschool children who are at high- We now know that vaccines save lives and est risk of low vaccination coverage. The immu- agony. They also save money. They’re a good nization rates for children in WIC in some cases investment. And we have done what we could, is 20 percent lower than the rates for other over the last 8 years, to make sure that our children. So WIC is clearly the place to start children get the best shot in life by getting on the outstanding challenge. their shots. And we have, as Rosalynn said, Today I am directing WIC to conduct an im- made progress. munization assessment of every child partici- In 1993 almost two out of five children under pating in the program, all 5 million of them. the age of 3 had not been fully vaccinated. And Each time a child comes in, their immunization Secretary Shalala and Hillary and the rest of status will be evaluated. Children who are be- our team went to work with the Childhood Im- hind schedule or who don’t have records will munization Initiative to improve immunization be referred to a local health care provider. I services, make the vaccines safer and more af- am asking the CDC to provide WIC’s staff with fordable, and increase the immunization rates. the information they need to conduct immuniza- We enacted the Vaccines for Children program tion assessments accurately and efficiently. We to provide free vaccines to uninsured and under- know this will work. WIC centers that have ex- insured children. And thanks to the work of perimented with this type of approach have seen people in this room and people like you all vaccination coverage increase by up to 40 per- across America, these rates, as Mrs. Carter said, cent in just one year. are at an all-time high. And the incidence of Second, I am directing Secretary Shalala and diseases such as measles, mumps, and rubella Secretary Glickman to develop a national stra- are at an all-time low. tegic plan to further improve immunization for In recent years, we’ve been able to say that children at risk—so they’ll have something to for the first time in our Nation’s history, 90 do in this last 40 days. [Laughter] This would percent of our children have been immunized include steps to utilize new technology, share against serious childhood diseases. And just as best practices, and examine how we can enlist important, vaccine levels are almost the same other Federal programs serving children in the for preschool kids across racial and ethnic lines. effort to improve immunization rates. So our children are safer and healthier. But it isn’t a job just for Government alone. But as has already been said today, there is We need to work with other caring organizations still a lot to do. At least a million infants and to succeed. So third and finally, I’m announcing toddlers are not fully immunized. Too many that the American Academy of Pediatrics is children continue to fall victim to diseases that launching a new campaign to urge all 55,000 a simple immunization could have prevented. of its members to remind WIC-eligible parents Low-income children are far less likely to be to bring their immunization records with them immunized. In some urban areas, for example, when they visit WIC sites. I want to thank the immunization rates are 20 percent below the members of the AAP for their initiative as well. national average. We need to keep working until every child in In Houston, just 63 percent of low-income every community is safe from vaccine-prevent- kids are vaccinated. In Detroit and Newark, it’s able disease. 66 percent. And we know areas with below- Dr. Jonas Salk, the father of the polio vaccine, average immunization rates are at greater risk once said, ‘‘The greatest reward for doing is of potentially deadly outbreaks, such as what the opportunity to do more.’’ We’ve done a lot we saw with the measles epidemic in the early together, and we have more to do. Thank you eighties—the late eighties. So today we are here very much. to announce three new steps that we hope will build on the record and meet the outstanding challenges. Supreme Court First, we have to go where the children are, Q. President Clinton, any comment on the as Mrs. Carter said. Over 45 percent of infants Supreme Court today and what they might do? and toddlers nationwide are being served by the The President. No, I think we ought to just Women, Infants, and Children program. It’s the wait and see what they do. One way or the

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other, it will be an historic decision that we’ll that we’re making. And if there’s something I live with forever. can do before I leave to make one more shot to resolve this, I will do it. Northern Ireland Peace Process The main thing is, the people there are doing Q. Mr. President, on Northern Ireland, you’re well. The Irish Republic has the highest growth going to be traveling to Britain and Ireland later rate, economic growth rate, in Europe now, and this evening. Do you have any particular mes- things are happening that were unimaginable sage for Sinn Fein on the issue of IRA disar- just a few years ago. So I don’t believe the mament? people will let it slip back. The President. Well, I think I’ll save my words We have just got to get over—ironically, both for when I get to Ireland. But let me just ob- issues, though they are related to one another, serve what the state of play is here. We’ve had independently reflect kind of the lingering de- a peace now for a couple of years, overwhelm- mons of the past, and we just have to get over ingly endorsed by the people of Northern Ire- there and try to purge a few more. And I hope land, the people of the Irish Republic, the ma- I can make a contribution. jority of both communities in Ireland. We’ve Thank you very much. had a functioning government where people worked together across lines and did things that amazed one another in education and other NOTE: The President spoke at 12:54 p.m. in the areas. Roosevelt Room at the White House. In his re- No one wants to go back to the way it was. marks, he referred to former First Lady Rosalynn But there are differences about the implementa- Carter and Betty Bumpers, wife of former Senator tion of the new police force and how that— Dale Bumpers, cofounders, Every Child By Two; and also about the schedule and method of put- and Dr. Walter A. Ornstein, Director, National ting the arms beyond use. And those are the Immunization Program, Centers for Disease Con- two things that could still threaten the progress trol and Prevention.

Memorandum on Improving Immunization Rates for Children at Risk December 11, 2000

Memorandum for the Secretary of Agriculture, narrowing a gap estimated to be as wide as the Secretary of Health and Human Services 26 percentage points a generation ago. Despite these impressive gains, immunization levels in many parts of the country are still Subject: Improving Immunization Rates for too low. According to the Centers for Disease Children at Risk Control and Prevention, low-income children are In 1992, less than 55 percent of children less likely to be immunized than their counter- under the age of 3 nationwide had received parts. In fact, immunization rates in certain the full course of vaccinations. This dangerously inner-city areas are as low as 65 percent, placing low level of childhood immunizations led me them at high risk for potentially deadly diseases to launch, on April 12, 1993, the Childhood such as diphtheria, pertussis, poliomyelitis, mea- Immunization Initiative, which helped make vac- sles, mumps, and rubella. These diseases are cines affordable for families, eliminated barriers associated with birth defects, paralysis, brain preventing children from being immunized by damage, hearing loss, and liver cancer. In addi- their primary care provider, and improved im- tion, children who are not fully immunized are munization outreach. As a result, childhood im- proven to be at increased risk for other prevent- munization rates have reached all-time highs, able conditions, such as anemia and lead toxicity. with 90 percent or more of America’s toddlers Clearly, more needs to be done. receiving the most critical vaccines by age 2. Today, I am directing you to focus your ef- Vaccination levels are nearly the same for pre- forts to increase immunization levels among chil- school children of all racial and ethnic groups, dren at risk in a place where we clearly can

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