HHS WEEKLY REPORT
August 29 - September 4, 2004
THIS ISSUE AVAILABLE ONLINE WITH EXPANDED INFORMATION AND PHOTOS AT:
http://www.hhs.gov/news/newsletter/weekly
IN THIS ISSUE:
1) Secretary Says President's Comprehensive Health Care Plan Works to Make Care More Affordable, Accessible
2) HHS Issues National Pandemic Influenza Preparedness Plan
3) Prevention: HHS Awards $4.8 Million to Expand Community-Based HIV/AIDS Care
4) Science in the News: NIH Releases Research Strategy to Fight Obesity Epidemic
5) Medicare Minute: 3 Simple Steps to Get A Medicare–Approved Drug Discount Card
6) Secretary Thompson's Public Schedule
Secretary Says President's Comprehensive Health Care Plan Works to Make Care More Affordable, Accessible
Secretary Tommy G. Thompson said Thursday that President Bush's efforts to reduce costs and improve access to health care, while building on the strengths of the private health care system, are the best ways to provide affordable coverage for more Americans.
Secretary Thompson said the President understands that rising health care costs put access to health coverage and medical care out of reach for many Americans, and that there is no simple answer to this complex problem. So the President has developed a comprehensive plan for reducing the uninsured that targets those who need help the most and uses consumer-driven health care and marketplace competition to lower costs - not a government take-over of our health care system funded by taxpayers.
The need for a comprehensive and pragmatic approach to the issue of the uninsured is underscored by a Census Bureau report released Thursday showing the number of Americans without health insurance increased by 1.4 million between 2002 and 2003. The overall number of people with health insurance coverage increased by 1 million in 2003.
"The President is working to expand access to health care for all Americans, beginning with those who need it most," Secretary Thompson said. "His initiatives are expanding access to medical care for children and lower-income Americans, as evidenced by his successful expansion of community health centers, children's health coverage and Medicaid programs."
"Yet, the President knows more needs to be done, particularly when it comes to lowering the cost of health care so that it is accessible to more people," the Secretary added. "The President is investing significantly in health care technology to bring down the cost of delivering medical care, and he continues to press for medical liability reform as frivolous lawsuits and defensive medicine continue to drive up health care costs."
Secretary Thompson also added that millions are living healthier lives because of President Bush's leadership. Administration initiatives are working to provide Americans with better access to vital services. For additional information and to learn more about these initiatives, please go to: http://www.hhs.gov/news/press/2004pres/20040826a.html
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HHS Issues National Pandemic Influenza Preparedness Plan
HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson on Thursday unveiled the department's draft Pandemic Influenza Response and Preparedness Plan, which outlines a coordinated national strategy to prepare for and respond to an influenza pandemic. The draft plan can be found online at http://www.hhs.gov/nvpo/pandemicplan and is available for public comment for 60 days.
"This plan will serve as our roadmap on how we as a nation, and as a member of the global health community, respond to the next pandemic influenza outbreak, whenever that may be," Secretary Thompson said. "Our proposed strategy draws upon the wealth of experience and knowledge we have gained in responding to a number of recent public health threats, including SARS and avian influenza."
In particular, the plan provides guidance to national, state, and local policy makers and health departments for public health preparation and response in the event of pandemic influenza outbreak.
Influenza pandemics are explosive global events in which most, if not all, persons worldwide are at risk for infection and illness. While rare, the appearance of such a pandemic virus will likely be unaffected by currently available flu vaccines that are modified each year to match the strains of the virus that are known to be in circulation among humans around the world. Unlike the gradual changes that occur in the influenza viruses that appear each year during "flu season," a pandemic influenza virus is one that represents a major, sudden shift in the virus' structure that increases its ability to cause illness in a large proportion of the population. During previous influenza pandemics large numbers of people were ill, sought medical care, were hospitalized and died.
Three influenza pandemics occurred during the 20th century. The most recent influenza pandemic occurred in 1968 with the Hong Kong Flu outbreak, which resulted in nearly 34,000 deaths in the United States. In 1957, the Asian flu pandemic resulted in about 70,000 deaths. The most deadly influenza pandemic outbreak was the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic, which caused illness in roughly 20 to 40 percent of the world's population and more than 50 million deaths worldwide. Between September 1918 and April 1919, approximately 675,000 deaths from the Spanish flu occurred in the United States alone.
Planning and implementing preparedness activities are critical to improving the effectiveness of a response and decreasing the impacts of a pandemic. HHS has increased support for pandemic influenza activities and is engaged in several efforts to enhance the nation's preparedness for such an outbreak. HHS supports pandemic influenza activities in five key areas: surveillance, vaccine development and production, antiviral stockpiling, research, and public health preparedness.
This draft plan includes a core section and twelve annexes. The core plan describes coordination and decision making at the national level; provides an overview of key issues; and outlines action steps that should be taken at the national, state, and local levels before and during a pandemic. Annexes provide additional information to health departments and private sector organizations for use in developing local preparedness plans as well as additional technical information to support the core document.
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PREVENTION
HHS Awards $4.8 Million to Expand Community-Based HIV/AIDS Care
HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson announced on Wednesday, 49 grants totaling $4.8 million to help organizations in rural, underserved and minority communities increase care and services for people living with HIV or at risk of infection.
"The communities where these grant recipients operate have a great need for more HIV/AIDS care," Secretary Thompson said. "These grants will help local health care providers expand the primary care services they offer to local residents with HIV/AIDS."
The awards are made under Title III of the Ryan White Comprehensive AIDS Resources Emergency (CARE) Act, which is administered by HHS' Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) through its HIV/AIDS Bureau.
Title III capacity development awards help service providers strengthen their organizational infrastructure and enhance their ability to expand HIV primary health care services to more people. Typical CARE Act services include HIV counseling and testing, medical evaluation and outpatient clinical care.
HRSA's HIV/AIDS Bureau administers CARE Act programs. Since fiscal year 2001, the Bush administration has spent more than $7.7 billion in CARE Act funding to help some 530,000 people access vital HIV/AIDS care and services each year. President Bush has requested nearly $2.1 billion in fiscal year 2005 for the CARE Act, an increase of more than $270 million over fiscal year 2001 funds. For a list of grant recipients, please go to: http://www.hhs.gov/news/press/2004pres/20040825.html
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Science in the News
NIH Releases Research Strategy to Fight Obesity Epidemic
NIH Director Elias M. Zerhouni, M.D., announced on Tuesday, August 24, the release of the final version of the Strategic Plan for NIH Obesity Research, a multi-dimensional research agenda to enhance both the development of new research in areas of greatest scientific opportunity and the coordination of obesity research across NIH.
"We are pleased about this focused effort to identify research opportunities in obesity. We are especially concerned about the serious problems we see emerging in overweight children. Many of these are problems that we used to see only in adults," Dr. Zerhouni said.
HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson has targeted obesity as a major priority of the Department. "There is no doubt that obesity is an epidemic that must be stopped. This plan gives us a clear focus for confronting obesity with science-based research approaches," Secretary Thompson said.
Emphasizing the importance of cross-cutting investigations, the plan calls for interdisciplinary research teams to bridge the study of behavioral and environmental causes of obesity with the study of genetic and biologic causes. Lifestyle interventions could be improved through a greater understanding of genetic and biologic aspects and vice versa. Also, successful prevention and treatment of obesity may require a combination of behavioral, environmental and medical approaches in highly susceptible individuals.
The Plan calls for intensifying efforts along several fronts:
The most recent figures from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show that 65 percent of U.S. adults — or about 129.6 million people — are either overweight or obese. In addition to decreasing quality of life and increasing the risk of premature death, obesity and overweight cost the Nation an estimated $117 billion in direct medical costs and indirect costs such as lost wages due to illness.
As a result, Dr. Zerhouni created the NIH Obesity Research Task Force in the spring of 2003 to intensify basic and clinical research and to enhance coordination of obesity research across NIH. The group developed the Strategic Plan for NIH Obesity Research with input from many scientists at academic and other settings across the country, organizations advocating for patients and health professionals, and other members of the public.
The report is available on the web at obesityresearch.nih.gov. Printed copies of the Strategic Plan may be ordered from NIH’s Weight-control Information Network at (877) 946-4627 and online at www.niddk.nih.gov/health/nutrit/nutrit.htm.
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Medicare Minute
3 Simple Steps to Get A Medicare-Approved Drug Discount Card
Different people have different drug needs and prefer to get their medicines in different ways. To compare cards and decide which Medicare-approved drug discount card is best for you, contact Medicare for help – either by calling 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227), visiting www.medicare.gov or contacting your local State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP). If you visit www.medicare.gov, you can use the Price Compare tool to help choose your card or you can download the Guide to Choosing a Medicare-Approved Drug Discount Card for more information. You can also talk to a live person at 1-800-MEDICARE to get the facts you need.
To better serve you, have the following information ready:
To help narrow your discount card choices, you can also tell us your preferred pharmacy, whether you are interested in low-cost or no-cost cards, and the names of any specific cards you want more information about.
If you call 1-800-MEDICARE, you will be sent a personalized brochure that allows you to look at discount cards based on your drug needs and your preferences about how to get your medicines.
You can use this personalized information to:
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SECRETARY THOMPSON'S PUBLIC SCHEDULE
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Last updated: August 30, 2004
United States Department of Health and Human Services
Contact the HHS Newsletter Team.