THIS ISSUE AVAILABLE ONLINE WITH EXPANDED INFORMATION AND PHOTOS AT:
http://www.hhs.gov/news/newsletter/weekly
IN THIS ISSUE:
1) President Bush Seeks Medicare Modernization
2) Report Reveals Lagging Performance In Head Start
3) The United States Urges Nations to Commit More Money to the Global Fund
4) National Men's Health Week June 9 - 15, 2003
5) Secretary Thompson's public schedule
President Bush Seeks Medicare Modernization
Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy G. Thompson on Tuesday spoke to the Manhattan Institute in New York City about the importance of more choices and better benefits for seniors dependent on Medicare for their health benefits Tuesday June 10.
The speech launches a national campaign by the Bush Administration to pass Medicare modernization legislation in Congress. The President's plan gives seniors the power to choose their Medicare coverage. Seniors would have three basic options. They may stay in traditional fee-for-service Medicare. They may join an Enhanced Medicare plan with better preventive benefits, catastrophic protections from high costs, and access to prescription drug coverage. Or they may join a Medicare Advantage plan. All three offer meaningful prescription drug benefits.
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Report Reveals Lagging Performance In Head Start
A new HHS report concludes that Head Start isn't preparing students for kindergarten well enough when compared to the general pre-school aged population.
The report cited minor advances made for children in vocabulary, letter recognition, writing and mathematics.
"Head Start needs to do better in helping children be ready to succeed in school," HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson said. "Merely narrowing the readiness gap by a few points is not a real head start. These children are still too far from equal opportunity. All of us in the Head Start community need to set our sights higher."
The President has proposed many improvements in the program, including those which integrate Head Start funds into services provided by the states for preschoolers, to make better use of federal dollars.
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The United States Urges Nations to Commit More Money to the Global Fund
Secretary Tommy G. Thompson led the Global Fund meeting last week, and encouraged other world leaders to join President Bush in the fight against HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.
"I am pleased with the important progress we made during the Fifth Meeting of the Board of the Global Fund." Secretary Thompson said. "We strived to reach consensus on how we can more effectively work together as a Board and Secretariat, generate more resources for the Fund and implement policies that ensure our grants have maximum impact on those living with the diseases. But we recognize that there is much work to be done, especially in the areas of increasing contributions and developing innovative, aggressive strategies to fight HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria."
The Global Fund was created in 2001 as a result of talks between world leaders to answer the HIV/AIDS pandemic. So far the United States has vowed $1.65 billion to the Global Fund-nearly half of the $3.6 billion pledged so far. In addition to the record funding requested to combat HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria the United States is also dedicating research and vital resources to combat the epidemic.
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National Men's Health Week June 9 - 15, 2003
National Men's Health Week is celebrated each year as the week leading up to Father's Day. Fathers, sons, husbands, brothers, uncles and grandfathers should use this week and become aware of their health risks and ways to prevent disease, disability, and injury.
The goal of National Men's Health Week is to raise awareness of the importance of early detection and treatment in men. This week focuses on a broad range of health issues impacting men at work, home and leisure. These health issues include heart disease, cancer, injuries, and stroke. It also provides men and their families with important information on how to prevent these and other conditions.
For more information on Men's Health Week, visit http://www.menshealthweek.org/
Below are a few issues that impact men's health:
Prostate cancer is the most commonly diagnosed form of cancer, other than skin cancer, among men in the United States. It is second only to lung cancer as a cause of cancer-related death among men.
Heart disease is the leading cause of death for all men in the United States.
Injuries--both unintentional and those caused by acts of violence--are among the top ten killers for Americans of all ages. Males are at higher risk than women for motor vehicle crashes, falls, drowning, and homicide. Learn more about injuries and how to prevent them.
An estimated five to ten million people were exposed to DES between 1938 and 1971 in the United States. DES was prescribed to prevent miscarriages or premature delivery, and research has shown that those women and their sons and daughters have certain increased health risks. Learn more about these risks and what you can do.
Sixty percent of young adults in America report suffering a sunburn in the past year. Find out what you can do to protect yourself from the sun's rays and what excessive exposure can do to your health.
* Links to non-federal organizations found at this site are provided solely as a service to our users. These links do not constitute an endorsement of these organizations or their programs by CDC or the Federal Government, and none should be inferred. CDC is not responsible for the content of the individual organization Internet pages found at these links.
This information is provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, an agency within the Department of Health and Human Services.
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Secretary Tommy G. Thompson's public schedule:
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Last updated June 11, 2003
United States Department of Health and Human Services
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