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

IN THIS ISSUE:
1) Secretary Thompson approves 51 state and city bioterrorism plans -- $750 million awarded
2) Regulatory Reform Committee meets in Minneapolis
3) Secretary Thompson delivers commencement address
4) Thompson describes progress, challenges in war on cancer
5) El Secretario Thompson anunció la disponibilidad de fondos para asistir a organizaciones de instituciones religiosas y comunitarias

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Secretary Thompson approves 51 state and city bioterrorism plans -- $750 million awarded

On June 6, HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson approved state plans to build stronger public health systems and better prepare for bioterrorism, marking the first time that federal, state and local governments have created a unified plan for responding to public health emergencies resulting from terrorism. With full approval of their plans, states, territories and municipalities received the remaining 80 percent of their share of nearly $1.1 billion in bioterrorism grants.

Secretary Thompson said. “With these plans, we can now more aggressively build our health systems, providing greater protection and care for our citizens. These plans will usher in a new era of cooperation between all levels of government when it comes to protecting the public’s health.”

President Bush signed into law in January a bioterrorism appropriations bill that sent $1.1 billion to 62 states, territories and major cities to strengthen local capabilities to deal with public health emergencies related to terrorism.

Over the past month, HHS experts have reviewed and approved the majority of each plan. Twenty-four states and two cities had their plans fully approved. Twenty-four states and one city had most of their plans approved. And two states, Washington, DC, and all eight U.S. territories were given an extension for their plans. For information on each state, click here.

Secretary Thompson praised governors, state public health departments and city leaders for developing their plans in such a short period of time. “It’s impressive how quickly states and cities were able to put together these plans. It shows how serious they are taking the need for preparedness and their dedication to getting the job done,” Secretary Thompson said.

States and local governments will use grant money to develop bioterrorism preparedness plans, upgrade infectious disease surveillance equipment, enhance the readiness of hospital systems to deal with large numbers of casualties, expand public health laboratory and communications capacities, and improve connectivity between hospitals and city, local and state health departments to enhance disease reporting.

Regulatory Reform Committee meets in Minneapolis

On Monday, HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson met with members of the Secretary's Advisory Committee on Regulatory Reform to launch a new effort to streamline Medicare's paperwork requirements for home health nurses and therapists. These reforms will allow health care professionals to have time to focus on providing quality patient care to their patients. During the two-day meeting in Minneapolis, Minn., additional recommendations to ease regulatory burdens were also reviewed and discussed.

The Advisory Committee meeting marks the one-year anniversary of Secretary Thompson's creation of an HHS-wide Task Force on Regulatory Reform, charged with conducting a review of departmental regulations and to oversee changes in those deemed burdensome.

"This committee is helping us figure out some common-sense solutions to ensure that health care professionals can spend more time with their patients and less time with their paperwork," Secretary Thompson said.

In addition to streamlining paperwork for home health nurses and therapists, the Advisory Committee has worked to clarify requirements for hospitals to screen and treat emergency room patients, and has changed regulations to reduce the number of times that a hospital must gather insurance information from Medicare beneficiaries.

The next meeting of the committee is planned for late August 2002.

Secretary Thompson delivers commencement address

In an address to the graduating class of the Finch University of Health Sciences/Chicago Medical School, Secretary Thompson highlighted the need for continued excellence in medicine.

"Whether you will be a physician or a researcher, a therapist or a scientist, your role in the future of health care in our country will be essential. The art and science of medicine depends on you," he noted.

The Secretary observed that, "From prenatal surgery to advances in geriatric health, we are enjoying the benefits of research, new drugs and better treatments that would have left previous generations astonished." At the same time, he said, "the way we provide the high-quality care we now have is inefficient to the point of becoming archaic."

Thompson described "the patient of today" and "the patient of tomorrow," noting that advances in medicine must be complemented by more efficient and patient-friendly administrative practices.

"We will have to fundamentally change the current health care delivery system in our country," he said. "I'm not talking about tinkering at the edges. I'm thinking of renewal and transformation."

The Secretary also encouraged the graduates to remember the importance of service and compassion as they pursue professional excellence, and to keep a sense of balance in the midst of stress through "faith, family, friendship" and some "good old fashioned hobbies."

The Secretary was also presented with an honorary doctorate by the school.

Thompson describes progress, challenges in war on cancer

In testimony on June 4th to the Senate Appropriations Labor and HHS Subcommittee, Sec. Thompson described America's progress in our war against cancer and outlined the Bush Administration's plans for continuing the national effort to defeat the disease.

"We have made stunning progress in the war against cancer," said the Secretary. "But the challenges remain real, and painful."

Sec. Thompson noted that a recent National Institutes of Health estimate that the overall monetary cost for cancer was $156.7 billion in the year 2001. "That's an astonishing figure - larger than the gross domestic products of all but a few nations on earth," the Secretary observed. "But the greater cost is in the immeasurable suffering of cancer patients and their families and friends."

Highlighting his own family's battles with cancer, Sec. Thompson said that the FY 2003 budget provides substantial resources for America's anti-cancer effort.

"Within the FY 2003 budget, we are requesting approximately $5.6 billion for research on cancer throughout the National Institutes of Health. This is an increase of almost $630 million, or nearly 13 percent, over the current fiscal year," he said.

Sec. Thompson also said that recent breakthroughs in research have given great hope to medical professionals that the threat of cancer can, in fact, be significantly reduced. "It is not an exaggeration to say that the tide in the battle might well be turning," he said.

Subcommittee Chairman Sen. Tom Harkin (D-IA) led the audience in a round of applause for the Secretary for his long-time work to decrease tobacco use, especially among the young.

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El Secretario Thompson anunció la disponibilidad de fondos para asistir a organizaciones de instituciones religiosas y comunitarias

El Secretario Tommy Thompson, anunció la semana pasada la disponibilidad de $30 millones en fondos para ayudar a nivelar el escenario para las organizaciones religiosas y comunitarias compitiendo para obtener subvenciones federales y otro tipo de fondos. El Fondo de Recursos de Compasión representa la primera ocasión en que se han dispuesto fondos federales destinados específicamente para ayudar a organizaciones de base, desde que el Presidente Bush anunciara el año pasado la iniciativa dirigida a instituciones religiosas y comunitarias.

"Estamos cumpliendo con el compromiso del Presidente Bush de otorgar a instituciones religiosas y comunitarias la misma oportunidad de recibir asistencia federal que el que reciben las organizaciones privadas de mayor tamaño", dijo el Secretario Thompson. "Durante años, las organizaciones de base han ayudado a miles de estadounidenses necesitados, muchas veces con recursos muy limitados y con escasa ayuda del gobierno federal. Bajo el liderato del Presidente Bush, esta asistencia está comenzando finalmente".

Bajo el programa de demostración del Fondo de Recursos de Compasión se dispondrán casi $25 millones para 15 a 25 organizaciones intermediarias que proveerán asistencia técnica para ayudar a las organizaciones de instituciones religiosas y comunitarias a tener acceso a fuentes de fondos, a operar y administrar sus programas, desarrollar y entrenar personal, expandir el alcance de programas dentro de la comunidad y duplicar programas que han tenido éxito. La asistencia técnica tiene que ser ofrecida a las organizaciones interesadas sin ningún costo.

Las organizaciones intermediarias que reciban fondos emitirán a su vez subvenciones menores a organizaciones de instituciones religiosas y comunitarias para ayudar con los costos de arranque, operaciones o expansión de programas.

Los restantes $5 millones del Fondo serán utilizados para establecer un Centro de Recursos Nacional, y para apoyar la investigación de practicas prometedoras para las organizaciones intermediarias facilitando asistencia a organizaciones de base y para el papel que juegan en la comunidad las organizaciones de instituciones religiosas y comunitarias.

Se puede obtener mayor información sobre la incitativa del Presidente y sobre el Centro de Iniciativas para Instituciones Religiosas y Comunitarias de HHS en www.hhs.gov/fbci/.

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Last updated 11 June 2002
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