Doing our patriotic duty.

The terrorist attacks of September 11th have thrust a great responsibility upon our nation. We must now not only fight a war against terrorism on overseas battlefields, but also defend our homeland against further terrorist attack. We can, and I believe we will, win this war and protect America. But victory will require the focus, energy and determination of each and every one of us.

Those of us in the medical community have a critical role in this effort. We are among the front-line soldiers in homeland defense. When a patient walks into a doctor's office with an unusual rash, lesion or other symptom, it is our job to make the proper diagnosis. When emergency crews are dispatched to the scene of a terrorist attack, their next stop is our emergency rooms. In both circumstances, the lives of thousands of people could be hinging on our ability to respond quickly and effectively.

Although we have made great progress in the war on terrorism, Osama Bin Laden and his Al Qaeda network or another terrorist group will almost certainly attempt another attack. We do not know the form such an attack would take--conventional, biological or radiological. We do not know if it would threaten the lives of only a few people or the lives of millions. We do not know if these terrorists would target their evil on Americans at home, Americans abroad or one of our many allies around the world. We must be fully prepared for the potential of a terrorist attack in any place, at any time, and in any form both as a nation and as individuals.

Doctors, nurses, administrators and other health professionals must be in sound physical and mental condition when so much is asked of us and so much is at stake. The best way to ensure that I am working, thinking and feeling the best that I can is exercise. Since I was a college student, I've run regularly. This has helped me stay in fit physical shape. It has also helped me work through long and often erratic hours. As a transplant surgeon, I couldn't predict when an organ would become available. I had to be prepared for the unknown. Now every physician, with the real and increasing threat of terrorism, must be prepared for the unknown and ready to jump into action at any moment.

We all value the physical benefits of exercise--being in better shape, living a healthier lifestyle, and decreasing our general risk to disease. But there are also psychological benefits. I spend my running time clearing my thoughts, working through policy issues, and preparing for speeches and meetings. Exercise sharpens the mind so that we can be better prepared for the challenges that lie ahead--whether it's day-in and day-out medical work or the rush of a medical emergency.

And we shouldn't forget about the spirit of camaraderie that so often springs from athletic activity. During the last five years, I've had the opportunity to run in six marathons. And I've been privileged to run marathons and build friendships with many members of the American Medical Athletic Association. Also, Senator Don Nickles and I organize an annual charity event in which we run to help raise awareness and support for the Lombardi Cancer Center in Washington, D.C. Athletics, just like being involved in your church or volunteering in your community, is a great way to strengthen the common bonds that unite all Americans.

The challenges presented by this new war on terrorism can often seem overwhelming. Our enemies operate under a cloak of secrecy inside our borders and abroad. Some of their most potent weapons, including biological agents like anthrax, tularemia, and smallpox, are invisible and can go undetected for days. And terrorists will not hesitate, as they proved on September 11th, to murder innocent men, women, and children in the course of their barbaric and senseless acts. Still, I believe we can lower our risk to terrorist attack and, if such an attack should occur, limit the harm it would do to the property and lives of the American people.

In 1998, I held a series of hearings to examine our readiness to respond to bioterrorism. As a product of those hearings, I joined Senator Ted Kennedy in passing the Public Health and Emergencies Act. This bill provided a comprehensive framework for preventing, preparing for, and responding to biological attacks. In the wake of September 11th and the anthrax attacks in October, we have already begun building on that framework with the Bioterrorism Preparedness Act of 2001. This legislation will boost funding for local, state and federal governments, foster better coordination between government and the medical community, and provide incentives for the research and development of better treatments and vaccines. These are all positive steps that our nation must take to better prepare for a potential terrorist attack.

But one vital element to our national preparedness that I believe is often overlooked is education. Every American, especially those of us in the medical community, should know the basic facts about bioterrorism. What's the difference between chickenpox and smallpox? Should I be vaccinated for anthrax? What should I have in my disaster supply kit? These are the types of straight-forward questions that I answer in a straightforward way in my new book, When Every Moment Counts.

I've written When Every Moment Counts as a public service: to equip people with the information they need to protect their families, to reduce our vulnerabilities to bioterrorism and thereby reduce the risk that terrorists use bioweapons, and to transform the potential for panic and paralysis into national resolve and determination. I urge you to pick up When Every Moment Counts at your local book store or visit www.wheneverymomentcounts.com". All profits from the book will be donated to help local communities prepare for the potential of another terrorist attack.

I'm confident that, under President Bush's leadership, our military will keep Osama Bin Laden and his Al Qaeda network on the run. However, these terrorists are intent not only on killing innocent men, women, and children, but on destroying our very way of life--paralyzing our system of government, crushing the prosperity of our economy, and stealing the liberties that we have enjoyed for more than two and a quarter centuries.

This is an extraordinary time in the history of our nation and our profession. As members of the medical community, we are responsible for treating the victims of a terrorist attack or, in the case of bioterrorism, identifying that a terrorist attack may have occurred. This requires us to be fully prepared physically and mentally and empowered with the most-up-to-date knowledge. This is how we can contribute to the war on terrorism. This is how we can serve our country. Let us all do our patriotic duty.

Senator Bill Frist is board certified in both general surgery and heart surgery. In 1985, Frist joined the teaching faculty at Vanderbilt University Medical Center where he founded and subsequently directed the multi-disciplinary Vanderbilt Transplant Center, which under his leadership became an internationally renowned center of multi-organ transplantation. In addition to performing 200 heart and lung transplant procedures, Frist has written more than 100 articles, chapters, and abstracts on medical research and three books.