People With Mental Retardation Underserved by Care Providers, Surgeon General Says

"Too many" doctors and dentists either refuse to treat people with mental retardation or give them "inferior care," U.S. Surgeon General David Satcher said on Dec. 6. The AP/Las Vegas Sun reports that Satcher told participants in a two-day Surgeon General's Conference on Health Disparities and Mental Retardation that testimony from doctors, patients with mental retardation and their families indicates that the health care of people with mental retardation is "a major weakness in the health system in this country" (AP/Las Vegas Sun, 12/6). For example, Satcher said that people with mental retardation often are unable to get eyeglasses (Office of the Surgeon General release, 12/6). Also, he said that because patients with mental retardation are three times more likely than the general population to live in poverty, they are "disproportionately affected by shortcomings in state and federal health programs for the poor," adding that those with private coverage also are often charged "exorbitant premiums." Satcher said that further studies are needed to "document the extent and causes of the problem." He said he would issue within the next few weeks a report summarizing the conference's findings. He said, "People with mental retardation are stigmatized. Sometimes they are stigmatized by the professionals charged to serve them. This stigma is real, it is painful, it is pervasive and it is unfair" (AP/Las Vegas Sun, 12/6).