HHS WEEKLY REPORT
October 3 - October 9, 2004

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

IN THIS ISSUE:
1) Secretary Thompson Statement on National Breast Cancer Awareness Month
2) Healthy Habits: HHS Awards $35.7 Million to Support Community Programs That Promote Better Health and Prevent Disease
3) Healthy Habits: HHS Employees Invited to Join the HealthierFeds Physical Activity Challenge
3) Science in the News: NIEHS Kicks Off 'Sister Study' of Breast Cancer
4) Medicare Minute: HHS Works With Grassroots to Help Millions of Medicare Beneficiaries See Savings With Drug Cards
5) Secretary Thompson's Public Schedule

Secretary Thompson Statement on National Breast Cancer Awareness Month

Throughout the month of October, the Department of Health and Human Services recognizes breast cancer awareness month. In the United States this year, an estimated 216,000 new cases of breast cancer will occur and approximately 40,000 people will die from this disease. Although we are making great progress and death rates continue to decline, breast cancer remains the second most deadly common cancer in women in the United States.

As Secretary, every day I learn of new reasons why supporting women's health and breast cancer awareness is so vitally important. But there are also three other special reasons that are close to my heart: my mother-in-law died from breast cancer, my wife is a breast cancer survivor and my daughter was recently diagnosed with breast cancer.

Breast cancer has touched almost everyone in our country, either directly or indirectly.

We are working hard to help ease the burdens of breast cancer. We are working to create a future where women and men are free of the fear of breast cancer. The Department of Health and Human Services has $938 million budgeted for breast cancer research and prevention activities in 2005. This research will help us learn about new and better ways to prevent, detect and treat breast cancer. I thank all those men and women who have and who are participating in research studies. Through your resolve and willingness to serve, you are making a difference in helping scientists and researchers come closer to finding a cure or treatment.

Currently, the largest breast cancer screening trial ever is being conducted at the National Institutes of Health, enrolling 50,000 women at 35 centers in the United States and Canada. The study is evaluating innovative breast imaging modalities, including digital imaging, magnetic resonance imaging, and ultrasound, for the early detection of breast cancer.

In addition, this month the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences will launch a nationwide recruitment of 50,000 women who do not have breast cancer, but have a sister who was diagnosed with breast cancer to take part in the “Sister Study.' This study shows promise in gaining more information about environmental and genetic causes of breast cancer.

The research we are conducting on breast cancer is very positive, but until the day comes when we find a cure or treatment for breast cancer, our best defense is increasing breast cancer awareness and focusing on early detection.

I encourage all women to make their health a priority by talking with their doctor about their own personal risk for breast cancer and getting screened for breast cancer before showing symptoms. Women in their 40s and older should have mammograms every one to two years.

By educating ourselves and taking preventive measures we can all work together to achieve better methods to prevent, detect, and find a treatment or cure for breast cancer.

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HEALTHY HABITS

HHS Awards $35.7 Million to Support Community Programs That Promote Better Health and Prevent Disease

HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson announced on Tuesday 22 grants to support communities implementing President George W. Bush's HealthierUS initiative to help Americans live longer, healthier lives. The grants focus on reducing the burden of diabetes, overweight, obesity and asthma and addressing risk factors such as physical inactivity, poor nutrition and tobacco use in 40 communities.

"Through the Steps to a HealthierUS grants, we are heeding President Bush's call to reach Americans in the places where they live, work and go to school in order to encourage healthier choices," Secretary Thompson said. "We are building a healthier nation by motivating Americans to eat nutritious foods, be physically active and not use tobacco products."

Secretary Thompson added that diabetes, asthma, overweight and obesity were chosen as targets because of their rapidly increasing prevalence in the United States and the ability for individuals to control and even prevent these diseases through exercise, diet and other strategies. The number of people with diabetes in the United States has nearly doubled in the past decade to 18.2 million. An estimated 10 million adults and 5 million children suffer from asthma, and the number of cases of obesity in this nation has increased more than 50 percent over the past two decades.

Steps to a HealthierUS grants total $35.7 million this year. Twelve grantees were awarded grants in 2003 through this program. Each program received increased funding in 2004 and many doubled their funding from the previous year. In addition, there are 10 new programs that were awarded grants this year.

The grants will help implement community action plans in 40 communities nationwide. Examples of programs in schools, health care and workplace settings include organized community interventions such as walking programs, health education trainings and media campaigns; environmental interventions like smoking cessation programs and increasing healthy food choices in schools; and educational interventions like enhancing coordinated school health programs.

Steps programs will target rural communities, low-income populations, Hispanics and Latinos, American Indians and Alaska Natives, African-Americans, immigrants, youth, senior citizens, uninsured and underinsured people and other populations at high risk. Partners include departments of education and health, school districts, health care providers, national and local health organizations, faith-based agencies, private sector and academic institutions.

Secretary Thompson noted that these grants build on the department's substantial efforts to promote innovative methods to prevent disease and promote public health. The Secretary recently announced $2 million in grants to the national office of the YMCA (Y-USA). With more than 2,500 YMCA's in the country, this funding will help strengthen the network of local YMCA chapters by developing and implementing strategies to work together with the 40 Steps grant communities. The department held its third annual "Take a Loved One to the Doctor Day" last week to encourage minority communities to seek preventive health services. Last March, the Secretary unveiled a new public service advertising campaign with the Ad Council, which targets obesity and promotes healthy lifestyles. In addition, the second Steps to a HealthierUS summit was held in Baltimore, Md., to foster discussion about the prevention of disease and promotion of healthy choices.

Top officials visited schools across the country to underscore the Administration's commitment to promoting healthy children. Secretary Thompson announced the 2004 grants while visiting a school benefiting from Steps grants in Philadelphia. Surgeon General Dr. Richard Carmona visited a new Steps grantee in Cleveland, Ohio, and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Julie Gerberding visited a new program in DeKalb County, Ga. In addition, Education Secretary Rod Paige and Agriculture Secretary Ann Veneman visited schools to discuss programs to teach children about nutritious choices and physical activity.

For a list of Steps grantees that were approved for a five-year project period, with the initial year's funding amount, please go to: http://www.hhs.gov/news/press/2004pres/20040928.html

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HHS Employees Invited to Join the HealthierFeds Physical Activity Challenge

Secretary Tommy G. Thompson is pleased to introduce to HHS employees the HealthierFeds Physical Activity Challenge, a government-wide initiative to promote physical activity among federal employees.

Secretary Thompson, Office of Personnel Management Director Kay Coles James and the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports Chair Lynn Swann will conduct an official kick-off event and activity fair this Wednesday, October 6 at 9:30 a.m. in the Hubert Humphrey building located at 200 Independence Avenue, SW. The HealthierFeds Challenge encourages federal employees to participate in some type of physical activity for at least 30 minutes a day, five days a week for six weeks. All HHS employees are invited to participate.

Please follow these steps in order to participate:

Once you have logged six weeks of activity, you will be able to print a Challenge completion certificate. Your effort will count toward the HHS total, which will be determined after November 26, 2004, the last day of the program. The department or agency with the highest percentage of employees completing the Challenge will receive an award, so you can help increase our participation rate!

You can customize the Challenge for yourself. You can choose from over a hundred activities including home repair, dancing and even gardening. Your activities can vary from day-to-day. In other words, FLEXibility is the central concept of this campaign.

If you are unsure of your health status, please check with your doctor before beginning any physical activity program.

For more information, please go to: www.healthierfeds.gov.

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Science in the News

NIEHS Kicks Off 'Sister Study' of Breast Cancer

Sisters share a lot more than laughter and secrets. They also share genes and at least some elements of lifestyle. Scientists already know that if a woman has breast cancer, her sister has a much higher chance of developing the disease, too. To find out why, the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) is kicking off the Sister Study, which hopes to glean more information about environmental and genetic causes of breast cancer.

In October, NIEHS will launch a nationwide recruitment of 50,000 women who do not have breast cancer, but have had a sister who was diagnosed with the disease. The Sister Study is a long-term study that will follow the women for at least 10 years, providing a solid set of data that researchers will be able to use to search for causes of breast cancer.

Researchers believe ingredients in many common products, like gasoline, pesticides, paint remover, glue, and plastic, have the potential to interfere with hormone function or damage breast tissue, possibly contributing to the development of breast cancer. But past studies have not been able to establish a strong link between the environment and breast cancer. Researchers in the Sister Study hope data gathered in this study will shed some light on the health effects of such exposures combined with genetic and other risk factors.

As part of the study, researchers will collect information from study participants about their life and health histories, jobs, and environment. Members of the research team will also collect blood samples and specimens of urine, toenails and house dust. The women in the study will answer questions about their diet, family history and environmental exposures. Additional information will be collected later on from women who develop breast cancer while in the study. NIEHS investigators do not anticipate quick answers to their questions about breast cancer. One aspect that makes the Sister Study unique is that data and samples are collected before the occurrence of disease. This is important because developing breast cancer could lead to changes in women's lifestyle, environment and other health measures.

Women of all races and ethnicities are eligible to participate in the study if they are between 35 and 74 years old at the time they join, live in the United States, and have had a sister related by blood who was diagnosed with breast cancer. Women who live in Arizona, Florida, Illinois, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio, Rhode Island, and Virginia can enroll now. Women in other states can pre-register now for enrollment in mid-October. Women who are not eligible can still help by volunteering and spreading the word about the study. For more information or to join, call toll free at 1-877-4SISTER (1-877-474-7837) or visit www.sisterstudy.org.

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Medicare Minute

HHS Works With Grassroots to Help Millions of Medicare Beneficiaries See Savings With Drug Cards

HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson launched on Thursday an unprecedented public-private outreach effort with hundreds of community organizations all across the nation to help millions of eligible seniors and people with a disability begin saving on their prescription drugs right away.

"We want seniors to get the full $1,200 credit for their medicines over the next 14 months. This is real savings for seniors who need the most help," Secretary Thompson said. "We need to work together and focus on how communities can help seniors enroll in the program so they don't leave this money on the table."

More than 100 community-based organizations and coalitions representing nearly 700 individual organizations will receive a total of $3.95 million from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Administration on Aging (AoA). This support will go to help the local organizations educate and enroll seniors and people with a disability about the benefits of the Medicare-approved drug discount card.

"The Medicare drug card can provide literally thousands of dollars in help, so that people with Medicare on a fixed income won't have to choose between their drugs and other basic necessities," CMS Administrator Mark B. McClellan, M.D., Ph.D. said. "Nearly two million people will be receiving cards that provide big savings in the mail, and we are working with many other organizations to make sure these beneficiaries and many more take advantage of the savings."

Last week, Secretary Thompson announced that 22 national discount cards will be mailed to 1.8 million Medicare beneficiaries who will be able to use the cards immediately to get savings at pharmacies. In addition to receiving the card, beneficiaries will also receive instructions on how to activate the $1,200 benefit. To do so, recipients will have to verify by phone that they do not have other drug coverage and provide information to help determine how much they should expect to pay for their drugs at the pharmacy.

"Seniors who get Medicare-approved drug discount cards in the mail will only have to pick up the phone to receive the $1,200 benefit," AoA Assistant Secretary Josefina G. Carbonell said. "The community organizations that work with seniors where they live are the best way in reaching seniors to help them access ways to save money."

A CMS analysis has found that Medicare beneficiaries can save from 44 percent to 77 percent off the average retail price for name brand drugs when they combine the lower cost drugs with the $600 credit. Savings will be larger, often exceeding 90 percent, when the credit is combined with a "wraparound" program from drug manufacturers or with other savings opportunities like generic drugs or state pharmacy assistance programs. These wraparound discounts, which reduce drug prices to $15 or less, are available on more than 200 brand-name drugs, including six of the ten drugs used most by seniors.

For a complete list or organizations receiving awards, please go to: /news/press/2004pres/20040930a.html

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SECRETARY THOMPSON'S PUBLIC SCHEDULE

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Last updated: October 4, 2004
United States Department of Health and Human Services
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