Frist nominated for poverty post

from The Leaf Chronicle

By BILL THEOBALD
Gannett News Service

WASHINGTON — Former Senate Majority Leader Dr. Bill Frist was nominated today by President Bush to be a board member of the Millennium Challenge Corp.

The U.S. government corporation provides grants to poor countries to reduce global poverty and promote sustainable development.

The former Tennessee senator's nomination must be approved by the Senate, where he served until January.

“I’m honored President Bush has entrusted me with this nomination,” Frist said in a statement. “The Millennium Challenge Corporation ties developmental assistance to a country’s full transparency, accountability and freedom from corruption. It’s the responsible way to ensure sustainable development in the 21st century.”

Frist's nomination is the latest in a series of efforts by the former heart transplant surgeon focused on reducing global poverty and improving global health care.

He was named earlier this month to head a new initiative by the charity Save the Children to reduce the deaths of young children from disease and hunger.

He also is co-chairman of ONE Vote '08, a bi-partisan effort to educate the presidential candidates and the voters on global health and poverty during the 2008 election cycle. And Frist has been working on international health issues with the Center for Strategic and International Studies.