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HHS WEEKLY REPORT
1-7 December 2002

THIS ISSUE AVAILABLE ONLINE WITH EXPANDED INFORMATION AND PHOTOS AT:
www.hhs.gov/news/newsletter/weekly

IN THIS ISSUE:
1) Secretary Thompson launches Blood Challenge
2) Secretary Thompson to mark World AIDS Day
3) HHS to help states create high-risk pools to increase access to health coverage
4) HHS selects 10 communities for Urban Partnership Initiative

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Secretary Thompson launches Blood Challenge

HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson launched his new blood donation challenge initiative, "Give Thanks! Give Life! Give Twice!"

The goals of the campaign are to thank regular volunteer blood donors, celebrate their generous gift of life, and encourage every qualified donor to give blood twice a year or more. The campaign will be expanded to the private sector in the spring, as part of Secretary Thompson's Workplace Partnership for Life initiative.

Secretary Thompson also challenged all members of the President's cabinet and all federal workers to give blood, create awareness of the need for blood donation, and hold regular blood drives in their workplaces.

"It may seem like a small sacrifice right now," Secretary Thompson said. "It may seem like one more person giving blood won't change the world. But I promise you that somewhere across this nation, there is one less empty chair at a family's dinner table because someone stopped to give blood, to make that small sacrifice. And that is truly something to be thankful for."

While 60 percent of Americans are qualified, currently only 5 percent donate blood. Donations increase in times of great need, such as following the Sept. 11th attacks. But blood donations are needed year round, not just in times of crisis.

The Challenge is getting off to a good start. The Office of Personnel Management is assisting in promoting the blood donation challenge across the federal government, and Postmaster General Jack Potter has announced that he will meet Secretary Thompson's challenge. In the spring, the initiative will be expanded through the Workplace Partnership for Life to include state and local government and private sector employees as well.

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Secretary Thompson to mark World AIDS Day

HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson will mark World AIDS Day with ceremonies at the Department of Health and Human Services and the State Department on Dec. 2 and 3.

"On the occasion of World AIDS Day, it is important to remember the millions who have died in the two decades of this disease. It is just as important to draw inspiration from their memories and redouble our efforts to beat HIV/AIDS," Secretary Thompson said.

HHS and the Bush Administration have several ongoing efforts to fight HIV/AIDS internationally. President George W. Bush has proposed $1.1 billion to help fight HIV/AIDS in the developing world next year - a 13 percent increase over 2002. Overall HIV/AIDS spending by the U.S. government increased from $14.2 billion in fiscal year 2001 to more than $16 billion for fiscal year 2003. That includes a doubling in international HIV/AIDS funding over the same period.

The United States is also strongly committed to supporting the Global Fund to Fight HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (at www.globalfundatm.org/). The President has requested almost $500 million for the Global Fund - far more than any other nation. Secretary Thompson serves as U.S. Representative to the Board of the Fund.

Projects and initiatives such as the Mother and Child Transmission Prevention Initiative and the Pan-Caribbean Partnership Agreement demonstrate the commitment of the United States and its partner nations in the attack on AIDS.

World AIDS Day is Dec. 1.

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HHS to help states create high-risk pools to increase access to health coverage

HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson announced a new program to help states create high-risk pools that will provide health coverage to individuals who otherwise would have difficulty obtaining coverage because of their health status.

A high-risk pool is a state-created non-profit association that offers health coverage to individuals with pre-existing health conditions. Enrollment in these pools is growing, with more than 153,000 individuals enrolled in state pools. Individuals in the pools can be self-employed or work for small businesses that do not provide health insurance group coverage.

"This is the first time that federal funding assistance has been available for high risk pools. These pools have proven to be an effective mechanism to provide comprehensive health coverage to individuals who are unable to get health insurance in the private market because of poor health," Secretary Thompson said.

Under the new program, HHS' Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services will provide seed grants to states to support the creation of high-risk pools. Funding for these grants was provided in the Trade Act of 2002.

The grants are available to states that did not have a "qualified" high-risk pool as of Aug. 6, 2002 -- the date President Bush signed the Trade Act law. The grants are to be used to create qualified pools. The criteria for a qualified risk pool are taken from the Public Health Service Act, which requires among other things, that the pool provide coverage to all individuals who are guaranteed coverage through the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996.

More information about the high-risk pools is available at www.cms.hhs.gov/riskpool

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HHS selects 10 communities for Urban Partnership Initiative

HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson announced the selection of 10 major metropolitan areas that will participate in HHS' Urban Partnership Initiative - a new effort designed to help communities that continue to have relatively high concentrations of welfare recipients.

Through this initiative, HHS' Administration for Children and Families, which oversees the Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) program, and HHS' Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation will work closely with the cities and counties involved to develop strategies to support and sustain families as they become economically independent.

The Urban Partnerships Initiative consists of two components. The first is a two-day "Academy for Urban Welfare Partnerships," which will convene in Dallas in February. The participating communities will share information about their experiences and learn of promising self-sufficiency strategies. Additionally, individualized plans will be developed to help participants move their welfare reform agenda forward. HHS will provide funding for the academy and the cost of participation for three team members.

The second component is 10 months of in-depth individualized technical assistance designed to help the communities carry out the strategies developed at the academy. The technical assistance can be in the form of HHS-funded consultant or facilitation services designed to build and better manage TANF programs.

"We still have a long way to go in helping families reach the opportunities that should be open to them," Secretary Thompson said. "Congress did not pass a new, forward-looking welfare reform bill this year, but we can still take steps to move ahead. Our goal in this effort is to help urban welfare programs learn from each other's experiences and build their capabilities to better serve their clients. We can learn from one another and do a better job, even as we look to the new Congress to act early and take welfare reform to the next level."

The communities selected are: Baltimore, Miami, Atlanta, Minneapolis, Detroit, Grand Prairie, Texas (Arlington, Dallas, and Ft. Worth, applying jointly), St. Louis, Omaha, Neb., Oakland, Calif. and Seattle.

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