HHS Secretary Tommy Thompson Expresses ‘Dream’ of Volunteer Medical Corps to Fight AIDS in Africa
HHS Secretary Tommy Thompson, speaking at a June 28 breakfast with the Republican Main Street Partnership, a group of 60 moderate Republican Congress members, expressed his "dream of a volunteer medical corps in Africa to help treat the millions" of HIV-positive individuals on the continent, the Washington Post mentions in an article describing Thompson's tendency to "thin[k] aloud." Thompson suggested, "How about the Paul Coverdell medical scholarships?" in reference to the late Georgia Sen. Paul Coverdell, who was appointed by former President George Bush to run the Peace Corps. The remark was "unexpected by his staff." HHS spokesperson William Pierce said, "There are no specific or explicit details. We're in the broader thinking phase" (Connolly, Washington Post, 7/10).
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