HHS WEEKLY REPORT
June 13 - June 19, 2004

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

IN THIS ISSUE:
1) Secretary Thompson Activates U.S. Public Health Service During State Funeral
2) HHS Approves Idaho and California Plans to Get More Kids Enrolled in SCHIP
3) PREVENTION: Secretary Thompson Thanks Blood Donors on World Blood Donor Day
4) Science in the News: National Study Shows 82 Percent of U.S. Homes Have Mouse Allergens
5) Secretary Thompson's Public Schedule

Secretary Thompson Activates U.S. Public Health Service During State Funeral

HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson activated the U.S. Public Health Service, Disaster Medical Assistance Teams, and called on assistance from the Washington, D.C., Medical Reserve Corps on Wednesday, as thousands of citizens paid their respects to former President Ronald Reagan in Washington, D.C.

"At this time when we join together to remember and celebrate President Reagan, we want to make certain that our citizens have access to the best emergency health services available," Secretary Thompson said. "We expect thousands of people to come to the nation's capital to honor this great American and with the heat and hours of standing, it's possible that some will need medical care. That is why we have so many medical personnel activated and on alert."

Sixty-five U.S. Public Health Service (PHS) officers provided medical care to citizens on the Mall Wednesday afternoon. PHS officers rotated into service through Friday afternoon. In addition, a local Disaster Medical Assistance Team (DMAT) PHS-1 was on site and assisted in providing medical care. The Washington, D.C., all-volunteer Medical Reserve Corps also joined HHS in coordinated response to the activities on the Mall.

"This effort is a testament to the spirit of the U.S. Public Health Service, its 6,000 officers, and the vision of Secretary Thompson to create a mobile force to serve the needs of our citizens," U.S. Surgeon General VADM Richard Carmona said. "We have so many highly qualified, highly skilled, and highly trained medical professionals serving in the Public Health Service that it makes good sense to have them available and on site during these times of large public gatherings."

The U.S. Public Health Service is one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. It's mission is to provide highly-trained and mobile health professionals who carry out programs to promote the health of the nation, understand and prevent disease and injury, assure safe and effective drugs and medical devices, and deliver health services to citizens of the country and the world.

The Medical Reserve Corps is the medical component of the Citizen Corps and the USA Freedom Corps. President Bush created the USA Freedom Corps in response to the outpouring of community support in the days following September 11. The MRC plays an integral part in our nation's preparedness and response strategy and provides an organized way for medical and public health volunteers to offer their skills and expertise during local crises throughout the year.

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HHS Approves Idaho and California Plans to Get More Kids Enrolled in SCHIP

HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson approved Thursday plans by Idaho and California to raise the income level for eligibility for the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) to include more children.

"Through these new plans, California and Idaho are expanding their commitment to the health care of children," Secretary Thompson said. "The SCHIP programs in Idaho, California and across the country continues to provide health coverage to millions of low-income children."

Thursday's approval allows Idaho to create a new, separate child health program, called CHIP B, which would cover children in families with incomes from 150 percent to 185 of the federal poverty level (FPL). Through expanding the income level for eligibility, SCHIP may reach as many as 5,600 children in the new program by next year. The state already operates CHIP A, an SCHIP Medicaid expansion, for families with incomes at or below 150 percent of FPL.

California will expand coverage to children up to age 19 in families whose income is up to 300 percent of the FPL in four selected counties: Alameda, San Francisco, San Mateo and Santa Clara. The state currently covers children in families with incomes up to 250 percent of FPL. The FPL is $18,850 for a family of four. The state hopes to enroll nearly 33,000 children in this program, known as C-CHIP, or county children's health insurance program. Thursday's approval also will raise the income level statewide to 300 percent of FPL for children up to age 2 whose mothers are enrolled in the Access for Infants and Mothers program (AIM). The state expects to add nearly 5,000 AIM-eligible children because of Thursday’s approval.

"As a physician, I know how important it is for young children to have access to routine, preventive medical care," said Mark B. McClellan, M.D., Ph.D., administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, the agency within HHS that oversees the SCHIP program. "This new plan will help more kids receive the kind of care that can prevent long-term health problems."

SCHIP is a state/federal partnership program signed into law in 1997 with a budget of $40 billion over 10 years. All 50 states, the District of Columbia and U.S. territories have an SCHIP program which provides health insurance coverage to children in families with incomes too high for traditional Medicaid, but yet not enough to afford private coverage. Nationwide, the SCHIP program provided health coverage to about 5.8 million children at some point in fiscal year 2003.

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PREVENTION

Secretary Thompson Thanks Blood Donors on World Blood Donor Day

As people around the globe celebrate World Blood Donor Day, on Monday, June 14, I would like to recognize and thank all blood donors for their generous contributions to their fellow Americans. Each year, volunteer blood donors, like you, become everyday heroes, donating life-saving blood to nearly 5 million people in the United States.

Having a readily available blood supply is critical to help save the lives of everyone from cancer patients to victims of natural and man-made disasters.

As donors, you and I are helping ensure that our hospitals always have enough blood on the shelves to meet demand and that fellow Americans are given a second chance to spend time with their loved ones.

Each day, we continue to make medical advances that help save the lives of Americans. But as the number of Americans being saved increases, so does our demand for blood. Every two seconds a blood transfusion is needed in the United States.

If you are not a regular blood donor, please consider joining the millions of Americans who make the simple, safe and lifesaving gift of donating blood. I encourage you to learn more about blood donation and make an appointment, today, to give blood.

To those of you who are already volunteer blood donors, I thank you. You are the reason we celebrate World Blood Donor Day.

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SCIENCE IN THE NEWS

National Study Shows 82 Percent of U.S. Homes Have Mouse Allergens

Scientists at the National Institute of Environmental Health Science (NIEHS), one of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), have found that detectable levels of mouse allergen exist in the majority of U.S. homes. NIEHS researchers analyzed dust samples, asked questions, and examined homes in the first National Survey of Lead and Allergens in Housing, a survey of 831 homes. Allergen levels were studied and related to demographic factors and household characteristics.

82 percent of U.S. homes were found to have mouse allergens. The findings by Cohn et al. appear in the June 2004 issue of the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. The survey was conducted using established sampling techniques to ensure that the surveyed homes were representative of U.S. homes. The homes were sampled from seventy-five randomly selected areas across the entire country. The 831 homes were in urban, suburban and rural areas throughout all regions of the country and included all housing types.

Dust samples used in the study were collected from kitchen and living room floors, upholstered furniture, beds, and bedroom floors. Kitchen floor concentrations exceed 1.6 micrograms of allergens per gram of dust in about one in five homes (22 percent). The amount of these allergy-triggering particles on the kitchen floor is high enough to be associated with allergies and asthma. Residents of high-rise apartments and mobile homes are at greatest risk, but the allergen is also present in all types of homes.

The NIEHS study, with collaborators at Constella Group, Inc. and the Harvard School of Public Health, characterized mouse allergen prevalence in a representative sample of U.S. homes and assessed risk factors for elevated concentrations. The odds of having elevated concentrations were increased when rodent or cockroach problems were reported.

Exposure to mouse allergen is a known cause of asthma in occupational settings. Until now, exposure to these allergens had not previously been studied in residential environments on a national scale. Clinicians should consider these risk factors when treating allergy and asthma patients.

NIEHS conducts and supports research to reduce the burden of human illness and dysfunction from environmental causes by understanding environmental factors, individual susceptibility and age and by discovering how these influences interrelate.

For further information on this study contact Dr. Darryl Zeldin, NIEHS scientist, 919-541-1169 or Dr. Rich Cohn, Constella Group, 919-313-7700.

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Secretary Thompson's Public Schedule:


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Last updated: June 14, 2004
United States Department of Health and Human Services
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