HHS

November 10, 2009 -- (Washington D.C.) –Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) attended a Senate hearing examining the problem of H1N1 being spread by workers who can’t afford to miss work when they are sick. Senator Murray gave an opening statement pushing for passage of the Healthy Families Act that would allow workers to earn up to 56 hours of paid leave to care for themselves or their family. This would benefit workers and businesses and help prevent the spread of H1N1 by ensuring that employees have the ability to stay home when they are contagious.

This is especially important for workers who may interact with individuals who are particularly vulnerable to the flu, such as those with underlying health conditions or women who are pregnant.    » read more »

November 10, 2009 -- WASHINGTON, D.C. -- United States Senator Roland W. Burris today announced that $98,351.00 in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funding from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) are being allocated to the State of Illinois to combat and reduce health care associated infections (HAIs). HAIs are infections some patients acquire when they are in a health care setting such as a hospital or outpatient clinic.

Senator Burris and the Democratic-led Congress passed the 2009 American Reinvestment and Recovery Act that was signed into law by President Obama in February.    » read more »

November 9, 2009 -- Connecticut Governor M. Jodi Rell announced that 3,000 bottles of pediatric Tamiflu from the federal government is being distributed today to 29 hospitals and clinics across Connecticut.

Governor Rell said that pediatric Tamiflu is being delivered today to 17 acute care hospitals that have pediatric treatment programs and 12 community health clinics, which treat underserved populations in the state.

“Having Tamiflu on hand will enable our clinicians across the state to treat children’s symptoms as soon as possible,” Governor Rell said. “We continue to do all we can to help medical personnel at hospitals and clinics treat the growing cases of H1N1 influenza among children.”    » read more »

Pingree tells HHS Secretary Sebelius that investment bankers shouldn’t be getting vaccines ahead of high-risk individuals

November 9, 2009 -- Congresswoman Chellie Pingree is demanding an explanation of reports that executives at Wall Street banks have been getting vaccinations for the H1N1 virus while high-risk individuals are going without.

“I was stunned to hear that investment bankers at Goldman Sachs and JP Morgan may be getting these flu shots while children, pregnant women and health care workers in Maine are still waiting for theirs,” Pingree said. “I’m afraid this is going to turn out to be another example of Wall Street thinking that they live by a different set of rules than the rest of us.”    » read more »

November 9, 2009 -- Washington, DC -- Today, Congressman Paul Hodes wrote to Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, urging her to address reports that Wall Street executives are receiving the H1N1 vaccine before New Hampshire residents. New Hampshire is scheduled to receive additional doses of the vaccine this week, but confusion remains regarding distribution levels and availability, all while Wall Street executives have already received the vaccines they need.    » read more »

November 5, 2009 -- The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) today announced contract awards for up to 120,000 treatment courses of intravenous (IV) antiviral drugs to help treat hospitalized 2009 H1N1 influenza patients.

Patients hospitalized with 2009 H1N1 influenza are evaluated to determine if antiviral drugs will be useful; some patients are not able to take the drugs that are currently available as pills or liquid and may benefit from intravenous antiviral medications.    » read more »

Executive Order gives public health director clear authority to respond as needed

Nov. 5, 2009 -- (Salem) - Oregon Governor Ted Kulongoski today issued Executive Order 09-17 to grant the state’s public health director, Dr. Mel Kohn, additional authority to respond proactively to pandemic H1N1 influenza. By issuing the order now, Governor Kulongoski has provided Dr. Kohn with the ability to implement quickly public health protections provided by state law.

“In order to do all we can to protect the public, I have provided Dr. Kohn with the ability to take additional steps to protect the health of Oregonians,” said Governor Kulongoski. “These measures are not needed now, but should that change, Dr. Kohn can take action without delay.”    » read more »

November 2, 2009 -- Healthy pregnant women mount a robust immune response following just one dose of 2009 H1N1 influenza vaccine, according to initial results from an ongoing clinical trial sponsored by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) of the National Institutes of Health.

“For pregnant women, who are among the most vulnerable to serious health problems from 2009 H1N1 infection, these initial results are very reassuring,” says NIAID Director Anthony S. Fauci, M.D. “The immune responses seen in these healthy pregnant women are comparable to those seen in healthy adults at the same time point after a single vaccination, and the vaccine has been well tolerated.”    » read more »

October 30, 2009 -- The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) issued an interim final rule with request for comments today to strengthen its enforcement of the rules promulgated under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). The Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act, which was enacted as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, modified the HHS Secretary’s authority to impose civil money penalties for violations occurring after Feb. 18, 2009.

These HITECH Act revisions significantly increase the penalty amounts the Secretary may impose for violations of the HIPAA rules and encourage prompt corrective action.    » read more »

October 29, 2009 -- HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius today released a new report, Lower Premiums, Stronger Businesses: How Health Insurance Reform Will Bring Down Costs for Small Businesses. The report outlines the many ways health insurance reform will lower health care costs for small businesses and is available now at www.HealthReform.gov.

“Small businesses drive our economy and create jobs, but they are struggling as health care costs continue to rise,” Secretary Sebelius said. “The high cost of care is making it difficult or impossible for these businesses to offer care or grow their business. Health insurance reform will bring costs down and give small businesses the relief they need.”

The report notes:    » read more »

October 19, 2009 -- WASHINGTON – Mylan Pharmaceuticals, UDL Laboratories, AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals and Ortho McNeil Pharmaceutical have entered into settlement agreements for a total of $124 million to resolve claims that they violated the False Claims Act by failing to pay appropriate rebates to state Medicaid programs for drugs paid for by those programs, the Justice Department announced today.    » read more »

October 2, 2009 -- Officials from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the White House Office for Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships began distributing a new flu-response guide for community and faith-based organizations this week in an effort to reach out and educate Americans about the dangers of the new H1N1 and seasonal flu, and to reach populations who may not have access to this public health information in other ways.

The document, entitled H1N1 Flu: A Guide for Community and Faith-Based Organizations, provides information about 2009 H1N1 flu and current response activities that are relevant to communities.    » read more »

October 1, 2009 -- Individuals’ genetic information will have greater protections through new regulations issued today by the U.S. Departments of Health and Human Services (HHS), Labor, and the Treasury.

The interim final rule will help ensure that genetic information is not used adversely in determining health care coverage and will encourage more individuals to participate in genetic testing, which can help better identify and prevent certain illnesses.    » read more »

Secretary Sebelius Releases New Success Story Report

October 1, 2009 -- HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius today released a report on how health information technology can improve health care for Americans living in rural communities. The report examines how the Columbia Basin Health Association in Othello, Wash., uses health information technology to improve health care quality and patient safety as well as promote care coordination and continuity. The complete report is available now at www.healthreform.gov.    » read more »

WASHINGTON -- U.S. Senators Benjamin L. Cardin and Barbara A. Mikulski (both D-MD) announced today that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has awarded grants of $200,000 to the Garrett County Health Department and $988,177 to the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene to help find and enroll children who are uninsured but who are eligible for either Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP).    » read more »