"You cannot always cure, but you can always care," Koop said. "I want you to remember that the only way that you can have both happy doctors and happy patients is if you put the patients first."
Koop also emphasized the importance of communication between doctors and patients.
"One of the sad things that I think has disappeared from American medicine is the house call," he said. "I would tell [my students] you can learn as much from sitting around having a cup of coffee with a patient as you can from 10 office visits."
Koop added that he was not trying to be harsh on the medical profession.
"I do want you to know that medicine is probably the only profession where you can do something important and long-lasting for someone who doesn't expect it to happen," he said.
Upon his return to Hanover as a professor at Dartmouth Medical School, Koop received literature on local community service opportunities, the same information given to the incoming medical students, he said. By the next year, all but one student of his had become involved with an organization on the list. As a result, Koop said he disagreed with Mother Teresa's saying that she saw "more poverty of spirit in the developed world than poverty of body in the third world."
"It has not been my experience that there is a poverty of spirit." Koop said.
The 91-year-old Koop expressed nostalgia as he reflected on his days as a practicing doctor of medicine. He recalled a time when Mother Teresa visited the United States while Koop was serving as surgeon general: when the dignitaries greeting her ran out of things to say, they called in Koop to speak with the famed guest.
"How wonderful it was to have the reputation to the 'powers that were' to be someone who wouldn't run dry [of things to say]" Koop said.
Koop also colored his keynote speech with reflections on the successes he has had when helping people.
"I've lost track of the positive things I've done along those lines, but I haven't lost track of the feeling of satisfaction," he said.
Koop finished his speech by stating that in order to truly affect others it is important to understand the political system.
"You have a tremendous opportunity," he said. "I urge you to understand medical politics because you can change medical politics."
Following Koop's speech was a panel discussion with representatives from local homeless shelter Upper Valley Haven, the Good Neighbor Health Clinic and Hypertherm Inc., a local company known for its philanthropic activities. The panelists answered questions about the dedication of younger generations to community service and the finances of a community service organization.
The panelists said their respective organizations address issues of limited public housing, public transportation, dental care, childcare and low minimum wage in the Upper Valley. They also spoke about the satisfaction of community service.
"The rewards that you get from helping people are just phenomenal," said Tom Ketteridge, managing director of Upper Valley Haven.
Barbara Couch, Hypertherm's vice-president of human resources and chair of the company's philanthropy team, said that companies can have a positive impact on the community while still being successful.
"Businesses do well by doing good," she said. "Social responsibility begins locally, with each of us."
The speech and panel discussion were part of an annual symposium organized to raise awareness about healthcare and other social issues in Vermont and New Hampshire. The symposium is given in connection with the Albert Schweitzer fellowship program.
