Washington, DC -  The March of Dimes presented a Lifetime Achievement in Public Affairs Award to Congressman John D. Dingell (D-MI15) last night in Washington.  The March of Dimes recognized the Congressman for being a “visionary leader who, for more than 50 years, has been at the center of the nation’s most significant played a significant advances in legislation pertaining to biomedical research, access to health coverage, and public health.  Mr. Dingell was instrumental in the creation of Medicare, Medicaid, and the Children’s Health Insurance Program, in the expansion of the National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as well as an untold number of public health programs and projects designed to improve the health of families here in the United States and around the world.”  Below are remarks made by the Congressman after receiving the award:

“I am honored to receive the March of Dimes Lifetime Achievement Award in Public Affairs.  Ever since President Franklin Delano Roosevelt founded the March of Dimes in 1939, this great group has been committed to making the lives of children better across our country, a mission that they pursue to this day.  The March of Dimes is responsible for funding the research that led to the Salk vaccine for polio and for raising awareness about premature childbirth and birth defects. This important advocacy has resulted in increased screening of newborns for treatable birth defects, an important development that has saved the lives of many.  The March of Dimes has always sought to contribute to the public good, and for this I thank them. 

“I am proud to be an active member of my local March of Dimes chapter in Michigan, where I have seen firsthand the impact that the organization has on people’s lives.  We created the Hero for Babies Award, which recognizes someone who helped Michigan’s newborns. Providing funding for community organizations that help local mothers is also an important part of the work the Michigan chapter does  Working with the March of Dimes at a local level is very rewarding for me and our local March for Babies is always one of the highlights of my year.

“I have had the pleasure of working closely with them throughout my career in Congress, and together we have achieved a lot, including establishing programs such as Medicare, Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program.  However our work on these issues is not finished, which is why I have introduced health care reform legislation every year that I have served in Congress.  I know that with the support of a great organization such as yours that we can achieve health care reform this year that will help improve the lives of mothers and babies across our country. 

“Once again, thank you for presenting me with this award tonight.  It is truly an honor to be associated with this fine organization and I look forward to working with the March of Dimes in the future to protect our nation’s babies; our work is not yet finished. Thank you.”
 

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