THIS ISSUE AVAILABLE ONLINE WITH EXPANDED INFORMATION AND PHOTOS AT:
http://www.hhs.gov/news/newsletter/weekly
IN THIS ISSUE:
1) SECRETARY THOMPSON CHAIRS GLOBAL FUND MEETING IN GENEVA
2) HHS AWARDS $23 MILLION TO HELP COMMUNITIES PROVIDE EARLY HIV/AIDS CARE
3) PREVENTION: HHS EXTENDS USE OF RAPID ORAL HIV TEST TO NEW SITES NATIONWIDE
4) NIH OFFERS NEW SCHOOL CURRICULUM EMPHASIZING THE IMPORTANCE OF SLEEP
5) MEDICARE TO EXTEND ACCESS TO CERTAIN DRUGS FOR BENEFICIARIES WITH SERIOUS AND CHRONIC ILLNESSES
6) Secretary Thompson's Public Schedule
SECRETARY THOMPSON CHAIRS GLOBAL FUND MEETING IN GENEVA
HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson traveled to Geneva, Switzerland, on Saturday to serve as chairman of 8th board meeting of the Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. At the meeting, the Board will approve the fourth round of grant funding proposals, among other issues.
The Board has already approved 227 grant programs in 122 countries and 3 territories for a total amount of $2.1 billion. The United States remains the largest contributor to the Global Fund has pledged $1.9 billion through 2008. President Bush’s FY2005 budget request includes $200 million for the Global Fund.
The Global Fund, a partnership between governments, civil societies, affected communities and the private sector, was created in 2002 to dramatically increase financial resources to fight three of the world's most devastating diseases, and to direct those resources to areas of greatest need. The Global Fund attracts, manages and disburses resources to fight AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria, but relies on local experts to implement programs directly.
Sixty percent of funds are directed toward HIV/AIDS, 23 percent toward malaria, and 17 percent toward tuberculosis. The Global Fund takes a comprehensive approach to AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria, funding both prevention and treatment based on locally determined needs. Three-quarters of countries awarded HIV/AIDS funds will use at least a portion of their grants to provide antiretroviral treatment. All HIV grants include prevention activities, most often focusing on young people who comprise 40 percent of all new infections worldwide.
The Global Fund meeting begins on June 28 and concludes on June 30. Secretary Thompson will then travel to Russia to participate in various meetings and speak at the American Independence Day celebration in Moscow.
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HHS AWARDS $23 MILLION TO HELP COMMUNITIES PROVIDE EARLY HIV/AIDS CARE
In recognition of National HIV Testing Day, HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson announced Friday 45 grants totaling $23 million to help communities provide outpatient and primary care services for low-income and medically underserved Americans who are living with HIV/AIDS or are at risk for contracting the virus. President Bush and I are committed to fighting HIV/AIDS at home and abroad," Secretary Thompson said. "These grants help grass-roots organizations reach out to those who have HIV/AIDS and get them into early and continuous care so that they may live longer, more productive lives.
Friday’s awards include one new grant for $426,624 to Centra Health Inc., in Lynchburg, Virginia. The remaining 44 awards are competitive continuation grants for existing service areas. The grants help ensure that early HIV care is targeted to those communities that need it most, particularly in rural and remote areas and inner cities. In addition to counseling, testing and referral, and medical evaluation and clinical care, the grants also support oral health care, adherence counseling, nutritional counseling, outpatient mental health, outpatient substance abuse, and appropriate referral for specialty and subspecialty care.
"These grants give hope to thousands of low-income Americans with HIV/AIDS," Elizabeth M. Duke, administrator of HHS’ Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) said. "The patients treated by these grantees are among our nation’s most vulnerable people. Many live on incomes at or below the federal poverty level, while others simply have no other source of care."
The grants are awarded under the Title III Early Intervention Services program of the Ryan White Comprehensive AIDS Resources Emergency (CARE) Act, which is managed by the HRSA’s HIV/AIDS Bureau. Recipients include community-based clinics and medical centers, hospitals, public health departments and universities in 22 states and the District of Columbia.
Since fiscal year 2001, the Bush administration has spent more than $7.7 billion in CARE Act funding to help some 530,000 people access vital HIV/AIDS care and services each year. President Bush has requested nearly $2.1 billion in fiscal year 2005 for the CARE Act, an increase of more than $270 million over fiscal year 2001 funds. For a complete list of grants, please go to: http://www.hhs.gov/news/press/2004pres/20040625.html.
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PREVENTION
HHS EXTENDS USE OF RAPID ORAL HIV TEST TO NEW SITES NATIONWIDE
HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson announced Friday that HHS has extended the availability of a recently approved rapid oral HIV test from the current 38,000 laboratories permitted to perform the test to more than 100,000 sites, including physician offices, HIV counseling centers and community health centers. In addition, Secretary Thompson announced HHS would fund a $4.8 million effort to add the rapid test to Department-funded programs to reduce HIV/AIDS among injection drug users.
"These actions will expand even further the availability of a simple, rapid HIV test to communities where people are at high risk of HIV," Secretary Thompson said. "HIV testing has never been easier or more accessible than it is today. As we prepare to mark National HIV Testing Day on Sunday, I urge anyone who thinks they may be at risk for HIV to get tested and know your status."
The OraQuick® ADVANCE Rapid HIV-1/2 Antibody Test, manufactured by OraSure Technologies, Inc., of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, provides results in as little as 20 minutes. To perform the oral test, the person being tested for HIV-1/2 takes the device, which has an exposed absorbent pad at one end, and places the pad above the teeth and against the outer gum. The person then gently swabs completely around the outer gums, both upper and lower, one time around. The device is then inserted into a vial containing a solution. The test device will indicate with more than 99 percent accuracy if HIV-1/2 antibodies are present in the solution by displaying two reddish-purple lines in a small window on the device.
HHS' Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved OraQuick in November 2002 for use as a blood test in laboratories that perform moderate complexity testing, and in January 2003, HHS categorized the rapid blood test as a waived test under Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments. FDA approved the oral version of the test in March 2004.
Secretary Thompson also announced that $4.8 million has been allocated to HHS' Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration (SAMHSA) from the National Minority AIDS Initiative Secretariat fund to support new demonstrations for rapid HIV test technologies. This includes both testing kits and, critically, the training to support their proper use. SAMHSA will incorporate rapid HIV testing into its programs for reducing the spread of HIV/AIDS among injection drug users and their sex partners, who represent one-third of persons infected with HIV in the U.S.
Each year, 8,000 HIV-infected people who come to public clinics for HIV testing do not return a week later to receive their test results. With the new rapid HIV test, individuals need only give a drop of blood or a swab of saliva, and the results are available on the spot in about 20 minutes. As with all screening tests for HIV, if the OraQuick gives a reactive test result, that result must be confirmed with an additional specific test.
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SCIENCE IN THE NEWS
NIH OFFERS NEW SCHOOL CURRICULUM EMPHASIZING THE IMPORTANCE OF SLEEP
Ask parents about their child’s sleep habits, and they are likely to respond with a sigh — or a roll of the eyes. Ask a teenager whether he or she gets enough sleep, and you’re likely to hear a resounding No! To help parents and their children understand and fully appreciate the importance of sleep, the National Institutes of Health’s (NIH) Office of Science Education and National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) have developed a new supplemental curriculum for use in high school biology classes.
"Sleep is as important as physical activity and healthy eating to our overall health, safety, and performance," Dr. Carl E. Hunt, director of the NHLBI’s National Center on Sleep Disorders Research (NCSDR) said. "Inadequate sleep not only makes us tired, but it can make it difficult to concentrate, to learn, and to control our impulses and emotions."
The free curriculum, Sleep, Sleep Disorders, and Biological Rhythms, which meets National Science Education Standards, encourages students to explore the scientific processes of sleep, the importance of adequate sleep, and the negative consequences of sleep deprivation. The first step: students keep a "sleep diary" to study their own sleep habits and learn about the rhythmic nature of sleepiness.
Reaching youth with messages about the importance of adequate sleep is an educational priority of the NCSDR. Experts recommend at least nine hours of sleep per night for adolescents as well as younger, school-aged children. Without it, students’ performance in the classroom and in after school activities can be impaired, and their risk for sports-related and other injuries increases. In fact, for teens behind the wheel, sleep problems can be deadly.
"Young drivers, especially young men, are at high risk for serious car crashes related to drowsy driving," Dr. Hunt said. "Unfortunately, many teens regularly sacrifice hours of sleep to accommodate life’s increasing demands — school work, jobs, extracurricular activities, and socializing — at a time when maturational changes delay the natural timing of feeling tired in the evening."
The new curriculum complements existing NCSDR educational programs and materials for children, adolescents, parents, teachers, and healthcare providers. Among the most popular is the award-winning "Sleep Well. Do Well Star Sleeper Campaign," which is cosponsored by Paws, Inc., and features Garfield as its "spokescat." Launched in February 2001, this campaign aims to educate children ages 7 to 11 about the importance of getting at least nine hours of sleep each night.
For more information or sleep materials and resources, please go to: http://www.nih.gov/news/pr/jun2004/nhlbi-21.htm.------------------------------
MEDICARE MINUTE
MEDICARE TO EXTEND ACCESS TO CERTAIN DRUGS FOR BENEFICIARIES WITH SERIOUS AND CHRONIC ILLNESSES
HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson announced Thursday a new Medicare demonstration program that will save seniors and persons with disabilities substantial money -- up to 90 percent in some cases -- on the life-enhancing medicines they take for serious diseases, including cancer, multiple sclerosis and rheumatoid arthritis.
The demonstration program, created as part of the Medicare Modernization Act, will extend Medicare coverage to prescription medicines that can be self-administered rather than administered by a health care provider. The demonstration will help up to 50,000 beneficiaries with serious illnesses who do not have comprehensive prescription drug coverage. Total spending on the covered drugs will be up to $500 million and approximately 40 percent of the funding will be allocated for oral anti-cancer medications.
This demonstration will provide access and affordability to life-saving medicines for people fighting serious diseases,” Secretary Thompson said. “Through this coverage, seniors will save thousands of dollars on essential medicines that they can take at home. It will relieve some of the burden of battling a debilitating disease.
Under this initiative, Medicare will pay for certain drugs and biologicals that can be taken by the patient at home and that replace drugs which are currently covered under Medicare Part B when given in a doctor’s office. The drugs were selected based on criteria developed after extensive input from physicians and other experts. In addition, newer, more effective medications that replace some currently covered oral anti-cancer drugs will also be covered.
"In some cases, by avoiding the need for doctor visits and intravenous injections, costs and medical complications may be reduced and access and ease of treatment will increase,” Mark B. McClellan, M.D., Ph.D., administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) said. “And many beneficiaries will get literally tens of thousands of dollars worth of help in purchasing these critical medicines right away, ahead of the Medicare drug benefit in 2006."
The demonstration runs through December 31, 2005 and will give Medicare beneficiaries a glimpse of the significant savings coming their way when the Part D prescription drug benefit is fully implemented in 2006.
Starting immediately, applications may be downloaded from the CMS Web site at http://www.cms.hhs.gov/researchers/demos/drugcoveragedemo.asp.
Starting July 6, customer service representatives will be available at 1-866-563-5386, TTY Number: 1-866-536-5387 to answer questions about the demonstration and assist beneficiaries in obtaining and completing the application forms. Between now and July 6, beneficiaries who have questions can call 1-800 MEDICARE. Applications will be accepted for consideration beginning July 6 through Sept. 30.
For examples of estimated savings, applications and eligibility information, please go to: http://www.hhs.gov/news/press/2004pres/20040624.html.
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Secretary Thompson's Public Schedule:
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Last updated: June 29, 2004
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