THIS ISSUE AVAILABLE ONLINE WITH EXPANDED INFORMATION AND PHOTOS AT:
http://www.hhs.gov/news/newsletter/weekly
IN THIS ISSUE:
1) Secretary Thompson Announces Global Fund Grant to Russia
2) HHS to Present Plan on Transforming Health Care Through Information Technology at National Conference July 21
3) CDC Collaboration Yields New Test for Anthrax
4) PREVENTION: KEEP IT COOL!
5) MEDICARE MINUTE
6) Secretary Thompson's Public Schedule
Secretary Thompson Announces Global Fund Grant to Russia
Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy G. Thompson announced a two-year $34.2 million grant to Russia for the treatment and care for people living with HIV/AIDS and Tuberculosis during a trip last week to Russia.
Secretary Thompson urged strong public leadership from Russian government officials in the nation’s efforts to stop the spread of HIV/AIDS. He also asked Russian health, legislative, civic and faith leaders to continue working with the United States, the global Fund and, most importantly, each other to effectively treat and prevent HIV/AIDS.
This $34.2 million grant marks the second time the Global fund awards money to Russia. The grant in Russia will be used to provide treatment and care for people living with HIV/AIDS in Russia, which is experiencing a 15 percent annual growth rate in HIV/AIDS cases. According to official government estimates, there are more than 274,000 people living with HIV/AIDS, though experts believe there are actually 1.5 million to 2 million cases in Russia.
"AIDS is a disease that knows no borders, and all nations must dedicate themselves to confronting this scourge as openly as possible," said Secretary Thompson, who is Chairman of the Board of the Global Fund. "The United States and Global Fund look forward to working with the Russian government, as well as community and faith-based groups, to build an effective national response to this disease."
Under President Bush, the United States is the largest donor to the Global Fund, having pledged nearly $2 billion of the $5.4 billion pledged by all nations, corporations, individuals and charitable foundations to date. Additionally, President Bush's fiscal year 2005 budget requests $2.7 billion for international AIDS programs, a 272 percent increase over the $725.6 million spent by the United States in fiscal year 2001.
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HHS to Present Plan on Transforming Health Care Through Information Technology at National Conference July 21
The Institute of Medicine has estimated that medical errors result in 45,000 to 98,000 deaths each year in America's hospitals. Through new innovations in Health Information Technology Medical errors can be reduced significantly. To that end HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson announced the first installment of a national health information technology plan that will be delivered July 21 when HHS convenes a key conference in Washington, D.C., to accelerate progress toward electronic health records and other benefits of health information technology for Americans.
"The benefits that all of us could reap from health information technology are simply too great to put off any longer," Secretary Thompson said. "The health care sector needs to run, not walk, toward realizing this potential. Health information technology can not only improve care for our patients and offer better support for our health professionals, but it can also make health care more cost-effective and improve our public health."
The strategic plan was mandated by President Bush in an April 27 executive order that also established the new Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology at HHS. President Bush identified health information technology as one of the most important technology areas for America's future. The order requires a report within 90 days on progress toward a national strategy for harnessing health information technology.
The event will build on the initial conference convened last year by HHS, and on Secretary Thompson's health information summit last month. Conference tracks include personal health; governance; incentives; standards and architecture; confidentiality; ethics; privacy and access; measuring progress; population health; and clinical research. The conference is endorsed by more than 50 national associations and organizations involved in health care and health information technology.
Registration for the conference is at www.hsrnet.net/nhii.
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CDC Collaboration Yields New Test for Anthrax
A new test funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and developed in collaboration with a commercial partner has become the first test approved by the Food and Drug Administration for detecting antibodies to anthrax. The test, produced by Immunetics Inc. of Boston, provides an easy-to-use clinical laboratory tool for assessing whether patients have been infected with anthrax.
The approval shows how cooperative work between government agencies and industry can lead to the development of diagnostic tests for biothreat agents and emerging infectious diseases.
The new test helps confirm a diagnosis of anthrax because it demonstrates that a person’s immune system has responded to a protein produced by the infecting bacteria. The test is quicker and easier to interpret than previous antibody testing methods. The new test can be completed in less than one hour, compared to about four hours for previous testing methods. Before FDA approval of the new test, very few laboratories other than the CDC and the U.S. Army had the ability to test blood for antibodies to anthrax. The new test will be available shortly for use in state and private laboratories.
Anthrax is a serious infectious disease that most commonly occurs in wild and domestic cattle, sheep and other herbivores. Humans can contract anthrax by handling products from infected animals or by breathing in or coming in close contact with Bacillus anthracis spores from infected animal products such as unprocessed hides and bones. Anthrax can also be transmitted to humans when anthrax spores are used as a bioterrorist weapon. The anthrax attacks of 2001 sickened 22 people, leading to five deaths.
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PREVENTION
KEEP IT COOL!
From 1979 –1999, excessive heat exposure caused 8,015 deaths in the United States.During this period, more people in this country died from extreme heat than from hurricanes, lightning, tornadoes, floods, and earthquakes combined. Because most heat-related deaths occur during the summer, and because weather projections for this year indicate a hotter-than-average summer, people should be aware of who is at greatest risk and what actions can be taken to prevent a heat-related illness or death.
Here are some quick tips on how to keep cool.
If you must be out in the heat:
More information is available at http://www.bt.cdc.gov/disasters/extremeheat/index.asp
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MEDICARE MINUTE
More than seven million low-income Medicare beneficiaries who do not have Medicaid drug coverage could save as much as 86 percent off the cost of their drugs by enrolling in one of the top ten Medicare-approved drug discount cards, according to a new report from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).
Real examples of this kind of savings include Wanda Blackmore and Gladys Cole both of Kansas City. Using her discount card and the $600 credit, Wanda reduced her monthly bill from $17 to $1.70, a savings of 90 percent. Gladys dropped her monthly bill using the card and her $600 credit from $120 to less than $20, a savings of 83 percent.
There are three simple things beneficiaries should know when calling 1-800-MEDICARE:
1. Their zip code;
2. Their drugs and dosages (having the bottles in hand can help);
3. Their monthly income.
CMS operators will send a personalized report that includes a list of the lowest cost cards and the pharmacies where they are accepted with an application so they can make a decision about which card is best and apply directly to the card sponsor.
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Secretary Thompson's Public Schedule:
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Last updated: July 7, 2004
United States Department of Health and Human Services
Contact the HHS Newsletter Team.