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{
    "localId": "193881",
    "label": "Remarks by President John F. Kennedy on mental illness and mental retardation, 5 February 1963",
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    "citationUrl": "https://catalog.archives.gov/id/193881"
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{
    "id": "193881",
    "sourceUrl": "https://catalog.archives.gov/id/193881",
    "contentType": "document",
    "title": "Remarks by President John F. Kennedy on mental illness and mental retardation, 5 February 1963",
    "description": "This item is a press copy of President John F. Kennedy's televised remarks regarding his special message to Congress on mental illness and mental retardation delivered from the White House Fish Room. In his speech, the President discusses his plans for a national mental health program, which includes comprehensive community mental health centers, improved care in state mental institutions, and increased research. To combat mental retardation, he recommends emphasizing preventative lifestyle measures, improved community services, increased research, and comprehensive maternity and child health care assistance programs.",
    "citationUrl": "https://catalog.archives.gov/id/193881",
    "collections": [
        "Papers of John F. Kennedy: Presidential Papers: President's Office Files",
        "Speech Files"
    ],
    "subjects": [
        "Kennedy, John F. (John Fitzgerald), 1917-1963",
        "Speeches, addresses, etc."
    ],
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    "url": "https://catalog.archives.gov/id/193881",
    "naId": 193881,
    "levelOfDescription": "item",
    "productionDates": [
        {
            "day": 5,
            "logicalDate": "1963-02-05",
            "month": 2,
            "year": 1963
        }
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    "seq": 1,
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    "type": "photo",
    "url": "https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/81/1938/193881/content/arcmedia/media/images/36/1/36-0078a.jpg",
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    "ocrText": "FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, FEBRUARY 5, 1963\nOFFICE OF THE WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY\nTHE WHITE HOUSE\nREMARKS OF THE PRESIDENT\n32\nON MENTAL RETARDATION\nTHE FISH ROOM\nblett\nI have sent to the Congress today a series of proposals\nto help fight mental illness and mental retardation. These two\nafflictions have been long neglected. They occur more frequently,\naffect more people, require more prolonged treatment, cause more\nindividual and family suffering than any other condition in\nAmerican life.\nIt has been tolerated too long, It has troubled our\nnational conscience, but only as a problem unpleasant to mention,\neasy to postpone and despairing of solution. The time has come\nfor a great national effort. New medical, scientific and social\ntools and insights are now available.\nWith respect to mental illness, our chief aim is to\nget people out of state custodial institutions and back into\ntheir communities and homes, without hardship or danger. Today\nnearly one-fifth of the 279 state mental institutions are fire\nand health hazards.\nThree-fourths of them were opened before World War Two.\nNearly half of the 530,000 persons in our state mental hospitals\nare in institutions with over 3,000 patients getting little or\nno\nindividual treatment. Many of these institutions have less\nthan half of the professional staff required.\nForty-five percent of them have been hospitalized for\nten years or more. If we launch a broad, new mental health pro-\ngram now, it will be possible within a decade or two to reduce\nthe number of patients now under custodial care by 50 percent\nor more.\nMental retardation ranks with mental health as a major\nhealth, social and economic problem in this country. It strikes\nour most precious asset, our children. It disables 10 times as\nmany people as diabstes, 20 times as many as tuberculosis and\n600 times as many as infantile paralysis.\nThere are between 5 million and 6 million mentally\nretarded children and adults, an estimated 3 percent of our\npopulation, much too high for a country of our resources and\nwealth. There are many causos, many of them still unknown, but\nI think that statistics already point to a direct relationship\nbetween lack of prenatal care and mental retardation,\nPrimarily for lack of funds, between 20 and 60 percent\nof the mothers receiving care in public hospitals in some large\ncities receive inadequate or no prenatal care and mental retar-\ndation is more prevalent in these areas. I am recommending a\nnew, five-year program of assistance to states and local health\n(OVER)"
}