HHS

June 19, 2009 -- ENGLEWOOD – New Jersey Governor Jon S. Corzine today thanked U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius for the Obama Administration’s commitment of $286 million for New Jersey’s Children’s Health Insurance Program (NJ FamilyCare). The funding is part of $6 billion in new federal funding that resulted from the Children’s Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act (CHIPRA) signed by President Obama in February.    » read more »

EPA to Move Aggressively on Cleanup and HHS to Assist Area Residents with Medical Care

June 17, 2009 -- WASHINGTON – U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa P. Jackson today announced the agency has determined that a public health emergency exists at the Libby asbestos site in northwest Montana. Over the past years, hundreds of asbestos-related disease cases have been documented in this small community, which covers the towns of Libby and Troy.

The announcement was made today at a joint press conference with Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and U.S. Sens. Max Baucus and Jon Tester.    » read more »

Lyon, France and Swiftwater, Pennsylvania – June 11, 2009 – Sanofi Pasteur, the vaccines division of sanofi-aventis Group (EURONEXT: SAN and NYSE: SNY), announces today it is ready to support public health efforts to respond to the emergence of the new A(H1N1) influenza strain following the decision made by the World Health Organization (WHO) to raise the pandemic alert level from Phase 5 to Phase 6, the highest level of alert in the WHO global influenza preparedness plan.    » read more »

WHO raises influenza pandemic alert to phase 6

June 12, 2009, London, UK -- The World Health Organisation (WHO) has announced it has raised the current level of influenza pandemic alert from phase 5 to phase 6. As stated by the WHO, phase 6 indicates that there now is a pandemic ongoing caused by the new A (H1N1) influenza virus. The WHO has stated in their current assessment of the situation that this pandemic is currently of a moderate severity.

In addition to increasing production and supply of the anti-viral medication, Relenza (zanamivir), the company continues to focus efforts on the development of a candidate A (H1N1) adjuvanted influenza vaccine.    » read more »

First results achieved with A(H1N1) wild type strain shows significant time savings of cell-based production over egg-based manufacturing approach confirming its value in pandemic situations.

Basel, June 12 2009 - Novartis has successfully completed the production of the first batch of influenza A(H1N1) vaccine, weeks ahead of expectations.

Cell-based manufacturing technology[1] allows vaccine production to be initiated once a pandemic virus strain is identified without the need to adapt the virus strain to grow in eggs, as with traditional vaccine technologies. This advance has cut weeks off the time required to begin vaccine production.    » read more »

HHS Secretary Sebelius Releases New Report on Health Disparities; Minorities, Low Income Americans More Likely to Be Sick, Less Likely to Get Care

June 9, 2009 -- U.S. Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius today released a new report on health disparities in America and participated in a White House Health Care Stakeholder Discussion on the importance of reform that reduces disparities that exist in our current health care system. The new report Health Disparities: A Case for Closing the Gap is available at www.HealthReform.gov .    » read more »

Acting Surgeon General Issues ‘Call to Action to Promote Healthy Homes’

June 9, 2009 -- Acting Surgeon General Steven K. Galson, M.D., M.P.H., today issued The Surgeon General’s Call to Action to Promote Healthy Homes at a press conference from the National Building Museum in Washington D.C. The Call to Action looks at the ways housing can affect health; its release will initiate a national dialogue about the importance of healthy homes.

“The home is the centerpiece of American life,” Galson, a Rear Admiral in the U.S. Public Health Service, said during today’s press conference. “We can prevent many diseases and injuries that result from health hazards in the home by following the simple steps outlined in this Call to Action.”    » read more »

New Jersey University Hospital to Pay Additional $2 Million to Resolve Fraud Claims That Facility Double Billed Medicaid

June 9, 2009 -- WASHINGTON - The University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ) has agreed to pay the United States $2 million to resolve federal civil fraud allegations that its hospital defrauded Medicaid, the Justice Department announced today.

From 1993 to 2004, UMDNJ’s University Hospital submitted claims to Medicaid for outpatient physician services that were also being billed by doctors working in the hospital’s outpatient centers. By submitting duplicate claims for payment, University Hospital effectively doubled billed the government’s Medicaid program.    » read more »

June 9, 2009 -- WASHINGTON – Today U.S. Senator Herb Kohl (D-WI) questioned the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, Kathleen Sebelius, about the administration’s plans to grant SeniorCare a waiver through 2012. SeniorCare is Wisconsin's senior drug coverage program, and the only program of its kind left in the United States that offers state residents an alternative to Medicare Part D.

“As you know, the waiver for Wisconsin’s SeniorCare program is scheduled to end on December 31 of this year. Currently, SeniorCare provides seniors in my state with high quality, cost effective prescription drug coverage. And, according to the Congressional Budget Office, it does so while achieving ongoing savings for the federal government.    » read more »

Statement By Senator Harkin At The Hearing To Examine The Us Department Of Health And Human Services Budget

June 9, 2009 -- “Madam Secretary, I welcome you to your first hearing with this Subcommittee.

“You have a challenging job ahead of you – arguably the most challenging job in the cabinet. Your responsibilities include not only comprehensive health reform, preparing for a possible pandemic influenza, and addressing the costs of entitlements, but also biomedical research, substance abuse prevention, drug safety, and providing health-care services to many of our most vulnerable citizens. I am not quite sure whether to congratulate you, or commiserate with you. But I certainly look forward to working with you cooperatively in any way I can.    » read more »

8 June 2009 -- As of 06:00 GMT, 8 June 2009, 73 countries have officially reported 25,288 cases of influenza A(H1N1) infection, including 139 deaths.

The breakdown of the number of laboratory-confirmed cases by country is given in the following table.

Laboratory-confirmed cases of new influenza A(H1N1) as officially reported to WHO by States Parties to the International Health Regulations (2005)    » read more »

June 8, 2009 -- Thomas R. Frieden, M.D., M.P.H., today became the 16th director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and administrator for the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR). He was named director of CDC by the White House and the Department of Health and Human Services on May 15.

Dr. Frieden, 48, has been the director of the New York City (NYC) Health Department since 2002. He is an infectious disease expert and has lead initiatives that support wellness and prevention. He replaces Dr. Richard Besser who has been the acting CDC director and acting ATSDR administrator since mid January. Dr. Besser returns to his role as director of CDC’s Coordinating Office for Terrorism Preparedness and Emergency Response.    » read more »

Relieve Providers’ Student Debt

June 5, 2009 -- HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius today announced the availability of nearly $200 million from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to support student loan repayments for primary care medical, dental and mental health clinicians who want to work at National Health Service Corps (NHSC) sites. In exchange for the loan repayments, clinicians serve for two years with the Corps.    » read more »

5 June 2009 -- As of 06:00 GMT, 5 June 2009, 69 countries have officially reported 21,940 cases of influenza A(H1N1) infection, including 125 deaths.

The breakdown of the number of laboratory-confirmed cases by country is given in the following table:

Laboratory-confirmed cases of new influenza A(H1N1) as officially reported to WHO by States Parties to the International Health Regulations (2005)    » read more »

Grants Will Continue Collaboration with VA to Support America’s Veterans

June 4, 2009 --
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Secretary Eric Shinseki today announced a landmark collaboration to help the families of older Americans and Veterans with disabilities of all ages care for their loved ones in the community.

This partnership builds on the similar missions of HHS and the VA with regard to caring for the populations they serve and has as its ultimate goal a nationwide home and community-based long-term-care support program to serve older Americans and veterans of all ages.    » read more »