As He Concludes His Second Tenure, 21st U.S. Surgeon General Issues Parting Prescription for America

Surgeon General Vivek Murthy Urges Americans to Recenter Their Lives Around Relationships, Service, and Purpose

Washington, D.C. – Today, United States Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy released his Parting Prescription for America - PDF, weaving together reflections on his personal and professional experiences having spent six of the last ten years as our nation’s Surgeon General.

Throughout his service, the Surgeon General has sought to understand the root causes of pain and unhappiness felt across our country. As a physician, Dr. Murthy believes that health is about more than tests and medications: it includes taking time to listen and focus on the whole person. As America’s Doctor, he has taken a similar approach with the nation.

After spending years hearing stories from thousands of Americans, delving into scientific data, and convening researchers, Dr. Murthy has found something deep and widespread ailing Americans: the erosion of our sense of community.

The Surgeon General’s Parting Prescription shares Dr. Murthy’s recommendations for how Americans can cultivate health, happiness, and fulfillment by rebuilding community centered around relationships, service, and purpose.

“Today, we are faced with a profound choice: do we continue with the status quo, marked by pain, disconnection, and division? Or do we choose a different path—one of joy, health, and fulfillment, where we turn toward each other instead of away from each other; where we choose love over fear; where we recognize community as the irreplaceable foundation for our well-being?” U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy writes, “As I finish my tenure as Surgeon General, this is my parting prescription, my final wish for all of us: choose community.”

Dr. Murthy makes the case that relationships, service and purpose create an ecosystem of meaning and belonging that are essential for fulfillment. These three elements form the triad of fulfillment. By contrast, modern culture has become increasingly centered on the triad of success defined by fame, money, power. We need a cultural shift that moves us toward the triad of fulfillment.

To read the entire report, please click here https://www.hhs.gov/sites/defa...ption-for-america.pd