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SARS - Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome
CDC Web Site
World Health Organization (WHO)

HHS Marks 50th Anniversary
April 30, 2003 - HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson today joined employees in marking the Department's 50th anniversary, a half century during which HHS provided health care to generations of families, took the lead in scientific discoveries that brought the miracles of modern science to every corner of the globe, and strengthened and improved the services and protections provided to all Americans.

Assisted Living Report Issued by Workgroup
April 30, 2003 - There are now over 30,000 assisted living facilities nationwide, which house nearly one million people.  Those facilities, which offer a transitional phase between living at home and living in a nursing home, are regulated by state governments, with no federal mandates. In 2001 the U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging held a hearing to gain a better understanding of the emerging assisted living industry. A workgroup of stakeholders formed to produce a 380 page document that covers most aspects of care in assisted living facilities.

Drug-Releasing Stent Helps Keep Opened Arteries from Reclogging
April 28, 2003 - FDA has approved the first stent for use in angioplasty procedures to reduce the rate of reblockage of blood vessels that occurs with existing stents. The stent, left permanently in the artery to keep it open, slowly releases a drug to prevent the buildup of new tissue that can reclog the artery. About 800,000 angioplasty procedures are performed yearly in the United States, and in as many as 30 percent of cases, arteries become clogged again.

Twins, Close Brothers, Sisters Sought for Study of Causes of Rheumatic Diseases such as Lupus, Sclerosis, Myopathy
April 23, 2003 - The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences is seeking 400 families with twins or pairs of close brothers or sisters for a nation-wide study seeking to identify the causes of a series of systemic rheumatic diseases. Specifically, NIEHS is seeking volunteer families in which one twin or one of a pair of close brothers or pair of close sisters has rheumatoid arthritis, polyarticular juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, systemic sclerosis or idiopathic inflammatory myopathy, an autoimmune muscle disease.

Study Boosts Confidence In Potential Screening Tool For Alzheimer's Disease
April 23, 2003 - A major study has confirmed the value of potential markers for identifying people with Alzheimer's disease. Scientists at the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) found that levels of two key indicators in spinal fluid distinguished clinically diagnosed Alzheimer's patients from controls with 89-92 percent efficiency. However, the potential telltale signs, or biomarkers, won't be ready for use as predictive and diagnostic tools until completion of long-term studies now underway.

NHLBI Study Finds All-In-One Approach To Lifestyle Changes Effectively Lowers Blood Pressure
April 22, 2003 - Lifestyle changes to prevent or control high blood pressure need not be made one at a time. According to a study supported by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), with special counseling, Americans can make all the needed changes at the same time. The best results were achieved when the lifestyle changes included adoption of the DASH diet, which is rich in fruits, vegetables, and lowfat dairy products.

Advance Care Planning: Preferences for Care at the End of Life
April 18, 2003 - Advance care planning can help ensure that the medical care preferences of patients who are terminally ill are honored by hospital doctors. According to a report by the U.S. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, fewer than half of severely ill and terminally ill patients have an advance directive in their medical record. Many physicians are unaware of the existence of advance directives even though most patients are willing to discuss end-of-life options with their doctors.

Medicare Expands Coverage For PET Scans
April 17, 2003 - The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced today that it will expand coverage of positron emission tomography (PET) to improve the care of Medicare beneficiaries with thyroid cancer and those with potential cardiac diseases.

Social Security's Redesigned Web Site
April 14, 2003 - Social Security's web site has a new look. It's attractive and easy to navigate. All the same information is on the site, but the information is much easier to find and has a consistent look and feel throughout the site.

FirstGov Web Site - New Features
April 14, 2003 - The FirstGov web site has new featured pages that are sure to pique your interests:

SARS - Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome - CDC Web Site
April 11, 2003 - SARS is a respiratory illness that has recently been reported in Asia, North America, and Europe. Because of widespread interest, the Center for Disease Control established a resource for information. Also check the World Health Organization’s (WHO) SARS Web site.

CMS Issues Final Rule Protecting Medicare+Choice Appeals
April 2, 2003 - The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) today issued final regulations providing Medicare beneficiaries with new appeal rights and financial protections when their Medicare+Choice health plan makes a decision to terminate coverage of certain services.

NCI Study Estimates More Than 2 Million Women Could Benefit from Tamoxifen
April 2, 2003 - More than 10 million women in the United States have a high enough risk of developing breast cancer that they could consider taking the breast cancer chemoprevention drug tamoxifen. When scientists examined a group of women using a risk- benefit analysis of the drug, they found that more than 2 million women would be likely to derive overall benefit from the drug without undue risks.

NIMH Launches First Public Health Education Campaign to Reach Men with Depression
April 2, 2003 - The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), today announced the launch of a campaign to raise awareness about men with depression. Research suggests that men are less likely to seek treatment for this serious illness; data also show that men die by suicide at four times the rate of women.

National Center on Elder Abuse
April 2003 - The National Center on Elder Abuse is supported in part by a grant from the Administration on Aging. You'll find a clearing house for issues related to elder abuse including laws, help networks, statistics, and a great newsletter.

FDA Supports Oklahoma Action on Canadian Drugs
April 1, 2003 - FDA is supporting Oklahoma's petition for an injunction seeking to stop Rx Depot from violating state law by obtaining unapproved drugs from Canada for customers in the United States. FDA says the company is exposing the public to significant potential risks associated with unregulated imported prescription medicines. FDA is concerned that the company has made misleading assurances about the safety of the drugs.

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