Press Release :: ADAPT Wins Meeting with HHS to Work on Medicaid Reform..

HOT off the Presses..

Cyber hugs from Talking Rock.. :wink:

For Immediate Release
April 28, 2008

For information contact:

• Bob Kafka 512-431-4085
• Marsha Katz 406-544-9504
• www.ADAPT.org..

ADAPT Activists Win Meeting with HHS Sec. Michael Leavitt to Work on Medicaid Reform :: HHS Staff Affirms that Access to Community is a Civil Right

Washington, D.C.--- 500 ADAPT activists closed off all access to the Hubert H. Humphrey Building, headquarters for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), and kept it closed until HHS Sec. Michael Leavitt agreed to meet with ADAPT on the multiple policies that force people into nursing homes and other institutions, and prevent them from moving back to their own homes and communities.

75 ADAPT members entered the HHS building before security locked all the doors, and presented the ADAPT demands in the initial negotiations with HHS staff. The demands included:

• Meet with leaders of ADAPT within 30 days, with the understanding that access to the community is a civil right that can be improved by the following measures. The meeting can clarify any of the following and identify other barriers to home and community based services in all 50 states;
• Improve the implementation of the Money Follows the Person (MFP) Demonstration Projects by increasing the flexibility states have;
• IMMEDIATELY eliminate any rules that cause undue burdens regarding case management;
• Eliminate any rules that discourage small grassroots providers, like Centers for Independent Living (CILs) and other non-profits, from meeting the needs of the consumers they serve;
• Eliminate any regulations and interpretations of "spousal impoverishment" and "risk" that promote institutionalization of persons with disabilities;
• Work with ADAPT to pass the Community Choice Act (S 799 and HR 1621).

"People need to be able to choose to live in their own homes, near their families and friends," said Dawn Russell of Texas ADAPT. "Families shouldn't be torn apart by mean-spirited Medicaid policies and regulations that force some people into nursing homes or even to leave their home state in order to get the community-based services and supports they need."

After a six hour standoff, Philo Hall, Counselor to Sec. Leavitt, committed to Leavitt meeting with ADAPT within 30 days as he addressed the crowd in the pouring rain. He began by acknowledging that access to the community is definitely a civil right. Then Hall admitted that HHS has fallen behind in its former regular communication with ADAPT, and acknowledged that the lack of communication has contributed to HHS making some not-well-thought-out decisions that have hurt the disability community. Renewed communication will begin immediately with another meeting between ADAPT and HHS staff on Wednesday, April 30.

"You know, President Bush's first Executive Order was the New Freedom Initiative (NFI), which ordered all federal departments to remove barriers to full community participation for people with disabilities," said Bob Kafka, ADAPT National Organizer. We've been making slow but steady progress until the past couple of years when it seemed like the Medicaid folks forgot the President's order and started reinstituting policies that will push people back into institutions. We're hoping that after today ADAPT will work with us to reverse the current trend, and assure older and disabled Americans can live full lives in their community."

HHS Press Release: Pandemic Preparedness Blog..

Will probably elaborate more on my own participation in the CDC's pandemic flu community forum last year, but, for now, can tell they're already touching very much on the various topics we all bantered around that particular Saturday..

Very brief summary is that we very much need to become as independent as possible as quickly as possible because regions of undetermined sizes will come to a screeching halt to stem the spread of disease.. Previously established local circles of support will be paramount to the survival of persons with disabilities during this times of national crises..

Of note about the Pandemic Flu Leadership Blog is that this is an unusual method of getting the message straight out to the people and skipping the middle man, so to speak, such that rumors don't get the chance to begin.. Remembering back to that Saturday's forum, one of my own concerns was that communication could possibly be affected in an immediate crisis.. Doing all that we can pre-crisis to get the facts and not fiction to everyone is crucial, again, to the survival of all..

Note: Will go ahead and post now then see if I can't sniff out a few more links as resources related to their release..

For Release: Immediately
Contact: HHS Press Office
(202) 690-6343

Headline: HHS CONVENES AMERICA'S LEADERS TO HELP AMERICANS PREPARE FOR PANDEMIC FLU
Influential business, health care, faith-based and community leaders participate in pandemic preparedness blog and forum hosted by HHS

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has launched the Pandemic Flu Leadership Blog, a five-week-long blog about pandemic preparedness. Participant bloggers include some of the nation's most influential business, health care, faith-based and community leaders. This online event is part of a new campaign to help Americans prepare for a potential influenza pandemic and engage U.S. leaders in the challenge to help others prepare.

"The conversation about individual preparedness for pandemic flu must extend nationwide through all possible channels, including social media and the Internet," HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt said. "The blog summit is an innovative and efficient forum for bringing together leaders for a lively discussion on the pandemic preparedness movement."

HHS is one of the first government agencies to utilize the participatory nature of the Internet to create a dialogue around a specific issue or campaign. This effort to engage individuals in an online conversation is the one of many steps HHS will be taking to carry out its campaign to encourage Americans to prepare. By preparing now, individuals will be better able to withstand the impact of a pandemic, slow the spread of disease, and lessen the overall impact to themselves, their families and to society.

Ideas and dialogue generated during the leadership blog will contribute to HHS' upcoming pandemic influenza leadership forum in June, an event which will bring together approximately 80 U.S. leaders representing the business, faith, civic and health care communities. The dynamic leadership forum will call on participants to help Americans become more prepared for an influenza pandemic by leveraging their influence and expertise in their communities to actively promote individual pandemic preparedness.

"It may not be possible to predict with certainty when the next flu pandemic will occur or how severe it will be, but it is essential to prepare ahead of time and that time is now," Secretary Leavitt said. "We are the first generation ever to have an opportunity to prepare in advance of a pandemic. Government alone can't prepare the nation for a pandemic. This is a shared responsibility and the challenge requires leadership from those most trusted and respected in their communities."

The pandemic-focused leadership blog gives national leaders the opportunity to participate in an ongoing and critical conversation about the potential impact of a pandemic on individuals, families, communities and workplaces. Participating bloggers will be asked specific questions related to the threat of a pandemic in the U.S. and will collaborate on ideas for what can be done to help their employees, constituents, customers, congregations and clients prepare now.

Approximately 16 influential leaders, including leading authorities on pandemic flu, will blog throughout the next five weeks. A few of the participant bloggers include Pierre Omidyar, Founder and Chairman of Ebay and Co-founder of Omidyar Network; David Eisner, CEO of the Corporation for National and Community Service; and Greg Dworkin, Founding Editor of Flu Wiki and Chief of Pediatric Pulmonology and Medical Director of the Pediatric Inpatient Unit at Danbury Hospital in Danbury, Conn.

The Pandemic Flu Leadership Blog will continue through June 27 and is open to the public and media. Comments are welcome and encouraged by all who visit the blog at http://blog.pandemicflu.gov.

In conjunction with the blog, HHS will hold a Pandemic Influenza Leadership Forum on June 13 in Washington, DC with representatives of the business, faith, civic and health care communities. Using materials prepared by HHS, local leaders will be asked to reach out to the people they represent with the essential steps necessary for pandemic flu preparedness. By preparing now, individuals will be better able to withstand the impact of a pandemic, slow the spread of disease, and lessen the overall impact to themselves, their families and society.

An influenza pandemic occurs when a new influenza ("flu") virus appears in humans; the new virus causes serious illness and death, and spreads easily from person to person worldwide. Past influenza pandemics, like the one that occurred in 1918, have led to: high levels of illness; death; disruption in normal, everyday activities like going to school, work, or other public gatherings, and economic loss.

Related Website..

• www.pandemicflu.gov
• Community Control Measures for Pandemic Influenza (sponsored by The Keystone Center and Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO)

Resource:: HHS press releases..

FDA :: Proposal for new black box warnings about suicidal thinking, behavior..

In light of all that has been occuring across our country of late, not unexpected to start re-seeing this type of press release become more frequent.. From these fingertips, forget that it is addressing "young adults".. If ANYONE of ANY AGE starts feeling strange, weird, out of sorts, and especially unusually or unexpectedly violent, either suicidally or homicidally, PLEASE seek professional feedback immediately..

Always be aware of, listen to, and know what your body is telling you.. BUT, at the same time, don't let paranoia get the best of you.. Work within yourself to find just that balance of knowing what should be occurring and what is indeed an early alarm for times ahead..

For me, it was Serzone.. The most unbelievably violent, literally saw red emotions came over me in a flash absolutely out of nowhere during the most pleasant, enlightening conversation with a friend.. Can still "see", feel that very moment it occurred..

What coninues to byte about it was that I kept telling the professionals and all I got back was, "Serzone doesn't do that to anyone.." End of discussion. Period.

Wasn't so empowered by others at that Time.. Wish I knew then.. :wink:

Soooo.. Should you find yourself wearing those same shoes, or should you find yourself in a place where you are uncomfortable "complaining", as you might feel it to be, find someone you trust to sit with you in your presence and advocate for change in your meds, treatment.. Be it a family member, friend, member of your church or local civic group, you have the right to have someone help you speak up if you need that accommodation..

If you are still not listened to, become 1) a self-advocate and 2) an advocate for others by turning to places like your local or state mental health advocacy agencies, your local CIL (center for independent living, yes, they're for you, too), and/or state advocacy office.. Don't stop until someone has been able to help you receive accountable mental health care..

For your very Life..

Cyber hugs..

FDA PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 2, 2007
P07-77
Media Inquiries: 301-827-6242
Press Officer: Sandy Walsh
Sandy.walsh@fda.hhs.gov.. Consumer Inquiries: 888-INFO-FDA

FDA Proposes New Warnings About Suicidal Thinking, Behavior in Young Adults Who Take Antidepressant Medications

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) today proposed that makers of all antidepressant medications update the existing black box warning on their products' labeling to include warnings about increased risks of suicidal thinking and behavior, known as suicidality, in young adults ages 18 to 24 during initial treatment (generally the first one to two months).

The proposed labeling changes also include language stating that scientific data did not show this increased risk in adults older than 24, and that adults ages 65 and older taking antidepressants have a decreased risk of suicidality. The proposed warning statements emphasize that depression and certain other serious psychiatric disorders are themselves the most important causes of suicide.

"Today’s actions represent FDA’s commitment to a high level of post-marketing evaluation of drug products," said Steven Galson, M.D., MPH, director of FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. "Depression and other psychiatric disorders can have significant consequences if not appropriately treated. Antidepressant medications benefit many patients, but it is important that doctors and patients are aware of the risks."

People currently prescribed antidepressant medications should not stop taking them. Those who have concerns should notify their health care providers.

The proposed labeling changes apply to the entire category of antidepressants. Results of individual placebo-controlled scientific studies are reasonably consistent in showing a slight increase in suicidality for patients taking antidepressants in early treatment for most of the medications. Available data are not sufficient to exclude any single medication from the increased risk of suicidality.

The proposed labeling update follows similar labeling changes made in 2005 that warned of a suicidality risk in children and adolescents who use antidepressants. At that time, FDA asked manufacturers to add a black box warning to the labeling of all antidepressants to describe this risk and to emphasize the need for appropriate monitoring and close observation, particularly for younger patients taking these medications. In addition, FDA directed manufacturers to develop Medication Guides, FDA-approved user-friendly information for patients, families and caregivers, that could help improve monitoring. Medication Guides are intended to be distributed at the pharmacy with each prescription or refill of a medication.

Also in 2005, FDA began a comprehensive review of 295 individual antidepressant trials that included over 77,000 adult patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) and other psychiatric disorders, to examine the risk of suicidality in adults who are prescribed antidepressants.

In December 2006, FDA’s Psychopharmacologic Drugs Advisory Committee agreed that labeling changes were needed to inform health care professionals about the increased risk of suicidality in younger adults using antidepressants. Additionally, the committee noted product labeling needed to reflect the apparent beneficial effect of antidepressants in older adults and to remind health care professionals that the disorders themselves are the most important cause of suicidality.

FDA has been developing language to revise product labeling and update the Patient Medication Guides for these products. Manufacturers of antidepressants will now have 30 days to submit their revised product labels and revised Medication Guides to FDA for review.

Products involved in today’s action include:

• Anafranil (clomipramine)
• Asendin (amoxapine)
• Aventyl (nortriptyline)
• Celexa (citalopram hydrobromide)
• Cymbalta (duloxetine)
• Desyrel (trazodone HCl)
• Elavil (amitriptyline)
• Effexor (venlafaxine HCl)
• Emsam (selegiline)
• Etrafon (perphenazine/amitriptyline)
• fluvoxamine maleate
• Lexapro (escitalopram hydrobromide)
• Limbitrol (chlordiazepoxide/amitriptyline)
• Ludiomil (maprotiline)
• Marplan (isocarboxazid)
• Nardil (phenelzine sulfate)
• nefazodone HCl
• Norpramin (desipramine HCl)
• Pamelor (nortriptyline)
• Parnate (tranylcypromine sulfate)
• Paxil (paroxetine HCl)
• Pexeva (paroxetine mesylate)
• Prozac (fluoxetine HCl)
• Remeron (mirtazapine)
• Sarafem (fluoxetine HCl)
• Seroquel (quetiapine)
• Sinequan (doxepin)
• Surmontil (trimipramine)
• Symbyax (olanzapine/fluoxetine)
• Tofranil (imipramine)
• Tofranil-PM (imipramine pamoate)
• Triavil (perphenazine/amitriptyline)
• Vivactil (protriptyline)
• Wellbutrin (bupropion HCl)
• Zoloft (sertraline HCl)
• Zyban (bupropion HCl)

For more information:

• Antidepressant use in children, adolescents, and adults, including the draft labeling and draft Medication Guides
• FDA’s Psychopharmacologic Drugs Advisory Committee, including transcripts from the December 2006 meeting

ADAPT :: HUD Secretary Comes to ADAPT with Commitments; American Hospital Association Agrees to Meet..

Latest press release on ADAPT's current (non-violent civil) action up in Washington D.C...

For Immediate Release: April 29, 2007

For information contact:
Bob Kafka (512) 431-4085
Marsha Katz (406) 544-9504
http://www.adapt.org..

HUD (US Department of Hoursing and Urban Development) Secretary Comes to ADAPT with Commitments; American Hospital Association Agrees to Meet

Washington, D.C.--- This time around ADAPT didn't have to shut down HUD headquarters, because as HUD Secretary Alphonso Jackson stated, "I came to you," when he and three members of his staff met with 500 members of ADAPT in their Washington, D.C., hotel. By the end of the morning, Jackson had stated unequivocally that "Fair Housing is a right." And he made a number of commitments to ADAPT, including:

• Informing ADAPT, before the September ADAPT action in Chicago, on how many housing vouchers for persons with disabilities he has recovered from the 58% loss in vouchers that the disability community suffered due to a combination of federal budget cuts, and misappropriation of vouchers by local entities that administer the voucher program in communities across the country.
• Vowing to eliminate the "outrageous" level of discrimination in housing against persons with disabilities. HUD recently reported that 40% of the Fair Housing complaints filed with HUD are based on the "protected class" of disability. This number surpasses, for the first time in history, the percentage of complaints filed on the basis of race (39%).
• A promise to facilitate a meeting between ADAPT and Reps. Barney Frank (D-MA) and Maxine Waters (D-CA). Frank is Chair of the House Committee on Financial Services, and Waters is Chair of the Financial Services Committee's Sub-committee on Housing and Community Opportunity. This Committee and Sub-committee are responsible for legislation affecting changes to the Section 811 program. ADAPT is calling for a restructuring of the Sec. 811 housing program to provide affordable, accessible, integrated housing, as well as increase the number of vouchers available to persons with disabilities, both of which will require action by Congress. Sec. 811 is the segregated housing program for persons with disabilities. The segregated housing program for older persons is Sec. 202.
• Jackson committed to work with ADAPT on implementing ADAPT's Access Across America Program, which would provide housing vouchers to persons with disabilities in nursing homes and ICFMRs that, combined with Money Follows the Person and previously existing initiatives in the states, will get people out of nursing homes and into affordable, accessible, integrated housing in their own communities.
• A promise to meet with ADAPT three times a year, with the next meeting most likely occurring in Chicago during the next ADAPT action, September 8-13.

"ADAPT is pleased that Sec. Jackson came to us, and we are cautiously optimistic at this point," said Cassie James, Philadelphia ADAPT Organizer. "His own personal experience with discrimination gives him a window into the unconscionable discrimination in obtaining affordable, accessible, integrated housing that is experienced by people with disabilities all over America. We look forward to the Secretary keeping his commitments and partnering with us to improve the current sad state of affairs."

In other action on Tuesday, ADAPT took over the building that houses the American Hospital Association (AHA), ultimately receiving a commitment from AHA top leadership to meet with 15 ADAPT members in the next 30 days. ADAPT is demanding that the AHA endorse the Community Choice Act (S 799, H.R. 1621, "amend title XIX of the Social Security Act"); work with ADAPT to develop a hospital discharge protocol that will steer people into community services, not institutional services; put ADAPT on the agenda of the next AHA conference; and finally, write a letter to all AHA member hospitals encouraging them to make discharge referrals that do not inappropriately segregate and institutionalize people with disabilities, thus complying with the U.S. Supreme Court Olmstead decision.

Commented Gene Spinning Rochester ADAPT, "Hospitals should not be feeder systems for the nursing home industrial complex, and we expect AHA to take a lead in reforming the all too common practice of treating us like cash cows and making automatic referrals at discharge to nursing homes without even exploring what's available in the community."

On Wednesday, ADAPT will meet with Mike Hudson, Chair of the Republican National Committee. ADAPT will also deliver Community Choice Act materials to every member of Congress. Included in the materials is a ten minute DVD compiled from the testimony about the horrors of life in a nursing home that was delivered before a national panel in Nashville during ADAPT's spring 2006 action.

CMS Press Release: 17 States Receive Grants for Alternatives to Institutional Care..

Yeah, it wasn't missed by these fingertips that Georgia didn't make the cut for these grants.. Don't know what it is, but Land of the Olmstead decision and we always seem to be among the last to implement things.. :(

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 12, 2007
CONTACT: CMS Public Affairs
(202) 690-6145

CMS AWARDS DEMONSTRATION GRANTS TO 17 STATES FOR ALTERNATIVES TO INSTITUTIONAL CARE

Seventeen states will receive more than $23 million in grants for FY 07 and up to $900 million over 5 years for demonstration programs that will help build Medicaid long-term care programs to keep people in the community and out of institutions.

Today’s awards, announced by Leslie Norwalk, acting administrator for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), are the first round of grants that will total $1.75 billion over five years (2007-2011) to help states shift Medicaid’s traditional emphasis on institutional care to a system offering greater choices for individuals and a full range of home- and community-based services. This Money Follows the Person (MFP) "rebalancing" initiative was included in the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 (DRA) currently being implemented by CMS.

"There is more evidence than ever that people who need long-term care prefer to remain in their own homes and communities whenever possible," Acting Administrator Norwalk said. "States will also get more for their money by giving the elderly and people with disabilities more control over how and where they get the Medicaid services they need. With these grants, the states propose to transition over 20,000 individuals from institutions and into community settings.

"Because experience shows that money following the person’s own preferences improves satisfaction and can reduce Medicaid costs too, we intend to continue taking steps, such as those taken through these grants, to remove barriers, real or perceived, that prevent them from participating fully in community life."

The Medicaid program traditionally pays for care for elderly and disabled individuals living in institutions who need help with activities of daily living. Previously, in order to fund home and community-based services, states had to establish a "waiver program" apart from the approved State Medicaid plan.

To assist states in offering greater choices, the DRA made changes in Medicaid that will allow states to add home- and community-based services to their permanent array of benefits without having to go through a waiver program. Under a DRA provision separate from the MFP initiative, states now have the option to provide home and community-based services without a waiver program.

States receiving grants today under the MFP initiative (see list below) will design programs with four major objectives:

• Increase the use of home and community-based, rather than institutional, long-term care services;
• Eliminate barriers or mechanisms that prevent Medicaid-eligible individuals from receiving support for appropriate and necessary long-term services in the settings of their choice;
• Increase the ability of the state Medicaid program to assure continued provision of home and community based long-term care services to eligible individuals who choose to move from an institutional to a community setting; and
• Ensure that procedures are in place to provide quality assurance for individuals receiving Medicaid home and community-based long-term care services and to provide for continuous quality improvement in such services.

All states were eligible to apply for participation in the five-year demonstration that requires a commitment to participate in the demonstration services for at least two consecutive years. A second round of state grants may be announced later this year using 2007 grant money.

States receiving grant funds may be eligible to receive a higher percentage of federal matching dollars to help cover the costs for people moving out of institutions and into community settings. The higher matching rate will be applied to certain services provided to an individual for a one-year period after the individual moves out of an institution and into the community. The state must continue to provide community services after that period as long as the person needs community services and is Medicaid eligible.

"These demonstration grants are a clear sign of our continued commitment to expand choice to all individuals wanting to live meaningful lives in the community," acting administrator Norwalk said. "These grants will help give them the independence to live at home and be an active part of their communities."

For more details about the New Freedom Initiative, of which this demonstration is part, visit the CMS (New Freedom Initiative) web site.

2007 MONEY FOLLOWS THE PERSON
REBALANCING DEMONSTRATION AWARDS

State -- FY 2007 Award Amount

• WI -- $8,020,388
• NY -- $192,981
• WA -- $108,500
• CT -- $1,313,823
• MI -- $2,034,732
• OK -- $3,526,428
• AR -- $139,519
• MD -- $1,000,000
• NE -- $202,500
• NH -- $297,671
• CA -- $90,000
• IN -- $860,514
• TX -- $143,401
• SC -- $34,789
• MO -- $3,398,225
• IA -- $307,933
• OH -- $2,079,488
• Total -- $23,750,892

NIH Press Release :: COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease)..

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH
NIH News
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Friday, January 12, 2007

CONTACT: NHLBI Communications, 301-496-4236, e-mail: nhlbi_news@nhlbi.nih.gov.

NHLBI INTRODUCES NEW CAMPAIGN ON LITTLE KNOWN FOURTH LEADING CAUSE OF DEATH IN UNITED STATES :: COPD Affects One in Four Americans Over Age 45

WHAT: COPD is the fourth leading cause of death in the U.S. and is expected to be the third leading cause of death by 2020. An estimated 12 million Americans are diagnosed with COPD and an additional 12 million are believed to have the disease, but are not yet diagnosed.

In conjunction with the launch of a new national awareness and education campaign on COPD, the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) of the National Institutes of Health, in partnership with the COPD community, is sponsoring a panel discussion to highlight the problem of COPD and provide an update on current research and future treatments. Patient advocates, leading physicians, and scientists will discuss the growing burden COPD places on the individual, the family and society and how the science has informed the art of caring for the whole patient with COPD.

Following brief remarks on COPD and the campaign, there will be a question and answer session with the speakers.

SPEAKERS: Elizabeth G. Nabel, M.D., Director, NHLBI
James Kiley, PhD., Director, Division of Lung Diseases, NHLBI
Grace Anne Dorney, COPD Patient

SCIENTIFIC PRESENTERS: A. Sonia Buist, M.D., Oregon Health Sciences University
Bartolome Celli, M.D., St. Elizabeth's Medical Center, Tufts University, Boston
Ronald Crystal, M.D., Weill Medical College of Cornell University

CAMPAIGN PARTNERS: Butch Pallay, MD, Board Member, American Academy of Family Physicians
David Ingbar, MD, President-elect, American Thoracic Society
Terri Weaver, PhD, Board Chair, American Lung Association
Mark Rosen, MD, President, American College of Chest Physicians

WHEN: January 18, 2007; 9:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. ET

WHERE: Holeman Lounge, National Press Club

For more information about the COPD campaign, please visit, www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/public/lung/copd/index.htm.

Part of the National Institutes of Health, the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) plans, conducts, and supports research related to the causes, prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of heart, blood vessel, lung, and blood diseases; and sleep disorders. The Institute also administers national health education campaigns on women and heart disease, healthy weight for children, and other topics. NHLBI press releases and other materials are available online.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) -- The Nation's Medical Research Agency -- is comprised of 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U. S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). It is the primary Federal agency for conducting and supporting basic, clinical, and translational medical research, and investigates the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its programs, visit www.nih.gov.

This NIH News Release is available online.