Proclamation 6602

By the President of the United States of America A Proclamation

Our children are our future. Therefore, making sure that our children are healthy must be a national concern. For 65 years, Presidents of the United States have proclaimed one day every year as "Child Health Day," a time to focus on the health and well-being of our Nation's children.

Over the years, we have organized again and again that it is better to try to guarantee the health of our children than to attempt to restore their health once it has been jeopardized. A healthy childhood charts a path for a healthy adult life. Prevention is, therefore, primary. Through preventive measures, we help children avoid the pain and suffering of disease and disability; we stop unnecessary spending; and we decrease the number of childhood deaths.

We possess the ability to prevent many childhood diseases and injuries, and we must use this ability. Every child needs access to primary health care. The necessary immunizations against nine different contagious diseases must be given to children at the recommended ages. Injuries, the greatest threat to our children's well-being, can be reduced by introducing into our daily routines various safety measures. For example, the use of car seats, seat belts, and bicycle helmets helps to guard against hazards to which children are especially vulnerable. There are dangers in the home, as well, such as careless storage of poisons and unlocked staircase gates. Paying attention to our children and to potential risks to their safety can help to safeguard them in our homes.

We can prevent our children from making unhealthy choices, both by the rules we set for them and by the rules we follow ourselves. Many of the behaviors that will affect their health—choices about what to eat; the dangers of smoking, drinking, using illegal drugs, or irresponsible sexual behavior; how to handle their feelings and the pressure of their peers—will be learned from the models they see around them. We have an opportunity, as well as a responsibility, to shape the future for our children. In our personal lives, that responsibility extends to those whose lives we touch in our families and in our communities.

The Congress, by joint resolution approved May 18, 1928, as amended (36 U.S.C. 143), has called for the designation of the first Monday in October as "Child Health Day" and has requested the President to issue a proclamation in observance of this day.

Now, Therefore, I, William J. Clinton, President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim Monday, October 4, 1993, as Child Health Day. On that day and every day throughout the year, I urge all Americans to renew their commitment to protecting and developing our most valuable asset—our children.

In Witness Whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this fourth day of October, in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and ninety-three, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and eighteenth.

William J. Clinton