MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE
2010 Regular Session
To: Rules
By: Senator(s) Bryan, Blount, Browning, Butler, Carmichael, Chassaniol, Clarke, Davis, Dawkins, Dearing, Fillingane, Flowers, Frazier, Hopson, Horhn, Hyde-Smith, Jackson (11th), Jackson (15th), Jackson (32nd), Jones, King, Kirby, Lee (35th), Mettetal, Montgomery, Powell, Simmons, Stone, Ward, Wilemon, Yancey
A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION MOURNING THE LOSS OF STATE HEALTH OFFICER AND "MEDICAL STATESMAN" DR. ED THOMPSON, JR., AND COMMENDING HIS LEADERSHIP IN SUPPORTING STATE AND NATIONAL PUBLIC HEALTH ISSUES AND HIS SELFLESS SERVICE TO THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI.
WHEREAS, Mississippi and the nation have lost a "Medical Statesman" and public health champion with the passing of State Health Officer Dr. Ed Thompson, Jr., on Tuesday, December 1, 2009; and
WHEREAS, Dr. Thompson served as Mississippi's Health Officer from 1993-2002 and from 2007 until the present. It was a career driven by his devotion to Mississippians and passion for health care; and
WHEREAS, Ed, 62, rose to one of the highest positions at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta before returning to Mississippi and leading the State Department of Health a second time. It is difficult to overstate Thompson's influence over public health policy and perception in Mississippi. When HIV and AIDS emerged in Mississippi in the 1980s, he led efforts to educate the public and quell hysteria. During Thompson's first term as State Health Officer, the Health Department achieved the highest immunization rates in the country, lowered tuberculosis case rates below the national average for the first time in 30 years and pushed the state's syphilis rate below the national average. The State Board of Health has recommended to lawmakers that the new State Public Health Lab be named after Dr. Thompson;
WHEREAS, Dr. Thompson was the Centers for Disease Control's Chief of Public Health Practice. Ed served on numerous CDC advisory committees, the Department of Health and Human Services' Secretary's Council on Public Health Preparedness, including the Anti-Terrorism Preparedness Task Force. His distinguished career also included service as Professor and Chairman of the Department of Preventive Medicine at the University of Mississippi School of Medicine and Professor of Medicine in the Infectious Disease Division. It was a great privilege and honor to Mississippi for him to serve as past President of the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologist and the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials. In 2008 he received ASTHO's Presidential Meritorious Service Award in recognition of his exemplary service. He frequently testified before Congress on important public health issues; and
WHEREAS, Dr. Thompson was named the 2009 State Health Officer of the Year by the National Association of Local Boards of Health. The award is given annually in recognition of outstanding contributions of time and energy in supporting state and local public health issues. Ed was nominated by the Mississippi State Board of Health for his leadership; and
WHEREAS, Dr. Luke Lampton, Board Chairman, has called Dr. Thompson a "Medical Statesman." He made significant contributions not only to improving the health of Mississippians, but also the health of all Americans; and
WHEREAS, since returning in 2007, Dr. Thompson administered construction of a new Public Health Lab, restored field staff and nurses to pre-2002 levels, and reconstituted the epidemiology and field services divisions. The agency has also renewed efforts to decrease infant mortality rates in Mississippi, launching pilot programs Metropolitan Infant Mortality Elimination (MIME) and Delta Infant Mortality Elimination (DIME), to reduce the state's infant mortality numbers; and
WHEREAS, he received his medical degree from the University of Mississippi School of Medicine, Masters of Public Health from Johns Hopkins University School of Hygiene and Public Health and was board certified in Preventive Medicine; and
WHEREAS, Governor Haley Barbour noted that Dr. Thompson's "medical expertise and counsel were highly respected" nationally. His vast knowledge of public health put him at the forefront of health care leadership in Mississippi and nationally; and
WHEREAS, "He was literally the face of public health in Mississippi and, in large measure, across the nation," said Dr. Randy Easterling, President of the Mississippi State Medical Association. "With a limited budget, he was able to take on all the health problems in the poorest state in the country. It took a real passion for the sickest of the sick and the poorest of the poor to accomplish that"; and
WHEREAS, Ed was 2009 Commodore of the Jackson Yacht Club. He set great courses for regattas and loved being on the water. He is survived by his wife, Marsha; sons, Mark and Matthew Thompson, as well as his son, Matthew Pollock; and daughter, Morgan Pollock; and
WHEREAS, Dr. Thompson dedicated his life to fighting against suffering and death among his fellow Mississippians. He was a true public servant and set a standard as State Health Officer that will be hard to match. It is with sadness that we note the passing of a stalwart leader, a dear friend and an outstanding Mississippian:
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI, THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES CONCURRING THEREIN, That we do hereby mourn the loss of State Health Officer and "Medical Statesman" Dr. Ed Thompson, Jr., commend his leadership in supporting state and national public health issues, and extend to his surviving family the thanks of a grateful state for his selfless service.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That this resolution be presented to the surviving family of Dr. Thompson, forwarded to Dr. Luke Lampton, Chairman of the State Board of Health and the Executive Director of the University of Mississippi Medical Center, and be made available to the Capitol Press Corps.