April 22, 1981
Dear Dr. Rogers:
You should have received recently a letter from Allen I. Goldberg, M.D. of Care-for-Life, a new non-profit corporation in Newtown, Pennsylvania.  Dr. Goldberg is seeking a grant to organize a pilot health care project dealing with the rehabilitation of patients with severe respiratory problems.
After serving as surgeon-in-chief of the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, for over 35 years and being well acquainted with the trends in pediatrics because of my editorship of the Journal of Pediatric Surgery, I can say that the long-term care of the respirator dependent child is one of the most difficult ethical and economic dilemmas facing the medical profession that deals with children.
Dr. Goldberg and the advisors he has gathered around him have not only a remarkably good scientific understanding of respiratory support but they have the deep and compassionate commitment to children which wedded to the scientific support can, I believe, provide a demonstration project that could be developed
elsewhere to care for this growing burden.
The project is not to prolong lives that are of poor quality and totally dependent upon respirators.  Rather, it is to rehabilitate these youngsters back into society free of respirator dependency.  Dr. Goldberg's intimate association with the rather remarkable work done along these lines in two centers in France equip him remarkably well for the intricate management of such a pilot program.
I would hope that you might see your way clear to provide some grant support to Dr. Goldberg.  I think the benefit to children, not just in Delaware Valley but throughout the country and the world, would be evident in years to come.
Very sincerely yours,
C. Everett Koop, M.D,
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Health
bcc: Allen I. Goldberg, M.D., Care-for-Life, P.O. Box 533, Newtown, Pennsylvania 18940
Note:  Identical letters sent to:
Mr. Leonard E. Snyder, Executive Director, Grundy Foundation, 680 Radcliffe Street, Bristol, Pennsylvania 19007
and
Mr. Fredrick R. Billups, Jr., Vice President, Charitable Trusts, Pew Memorial Trust,
The Glenmede Trust Company, 229 S. 18th Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19103