Edward Brandt Assistant Secretary for Health Speech Collection

Collection of 122 speeches and/or talking points delivered between 1981-1984 by Brandt while Assistant Secretary for Health, U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services during the Ronald Reagan presidency. These speeches reflect Brandt's communication of official Reagan Administration policy and do not reflect much of the anti-administration work Brandt also conducted behind the scenes.

While much of the content of the speeches is directed specifically to each audience, there are some common themes present that communicate the strategic direction DHHS was taking during this time period: fiscal responsibility and proper prioritization during a time of recession and the economic hard times of the 1980s; philiosophical change from the federal government being a direct agent of health policy and research to a supporter of state government-centric activities; development of block grants for basic services to states; need to deliver results of research directly to consumers; developing local health promotion and disease prevention programs, especially anti-smoking and infant care programs; shift from the federal government carrying out basic research centered on its perceptions of national needs to supporting local research programs developed around local needs; the need for increased personal and social responsibilities for good health.