FEDERAL AND STATE PUBLIC HEALTH LEADERS ENCOURAGE STRONGER TOBACCO PREVENTION AND CONTROL POLICIES

U.S. Assistant Secretary for Health Dr. Howard Koh and Six Regional State Health Commissioners Discussed Policies to Prevent Kids from Starting and Help Adults Quit

Manchester, NH — Dr. Howard Koh, MD, MPH, Assistant Secretary for Health of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, today joined with the state health commissioners from Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont in Manchester, NH, to call on New England health and policy leaders to work together to accelerate progress on tobacco control and prevention. The remarks were made just prior to Dr. Koh’s hosting of a New England Tobacco Town Hall which drew approximately 225 participants from the region.

Tobacco is the leading cause of preventable death in this country and in the region, killing 20,000 New Englanders each year. While New England has been a leader in policies to prevent tobacco use, help smokers quit and reduce exposure to secondhand smoke, tobacco use continues to be all too prevalent among particular populations here and across the country, including low income adults (39.4% smoke nationally), the uninsured (35.5% smoke nationally) and military personnel (30.6% nationally) – all dramatically higher than the national smoking rate of 19.4% for adults. Annually, health care costs from tobacco amount to $1.63 billion in Connecticut, $602 million in Maine, $3.54 billion in Massachusetts, $564 million in New Hampshire, $506 million in Rhode Island and $233 million in Vermont.

While addressing the audience of tobacco control experts, health organizations, lawmakers, business leaders, and healthcare providers, Dr. Koh discussed both the urgency of ending the tobacco epidemic and the Obama Administration’s commitment helping tobacco users quit and preventing kids from starting.

―We have within our grasp the capacity to eliminate the harms from tobacco dependence in our society. We know how to end the tobacco epidemic and under President Obama’s leadership we are committed to advancing progress towards our shared goal of a society free of tobacco-related death and disease,‖ said Koh.

Dr. Jose Montero, New Hampshire’s Health Director thanked Dr. Koh and the attendees on behalf of his peers from the neighboring New England states. As the senior public health official from the ―host state‖ for this important convening, Dr. Montero said, ―It was an honor to host the New England states for such an important event. The rates of tobacco use have been declining, but it is still a leading cause of death and disease in New England and we can and must do more to encourage people to quit and not start in the first place.

In addition to those who attended the Town Hall in person, the event was webcast live to tobacco control and health experts throughout the country. To view the webcast, visit: http://www.edifymultimedia.com/webcast/player.htm  

Attendees committed to working together to actualize a vision for dramatically reducing tobacco use in New England in order to save lives and decrease healthcare costs.

# # #

Note: All HHS press releases, fact sheets and other press materials are available at http://www.hhs.gov/news

US DHHS - Manchester: HHS Assistant Secretary Dr. Howard Koh and Public Health Leaders Talk Tobacco on November 16

Sending on behalf of the US Department of Health and Human Services

(See attached file: Advisory - NE Tobacco Town Hall 11.16.11.pdf)

ALG expresses outrage over revelations that fund intended to help early retirees raided by unions

Oct. 31, 2011, Fairfax, VA—Americans for Limited Government President Bill Wilson today issued the following statement commenting on a new GAO report finding government agencies and union health plans looting an HHS program that was supposed to be targeted at retirees:

"The Halloween horror story of ObamaCare continues to unfold as Senator Mike Enzi  announced that a Government Accountability Office (GAO) report showed that a program designed to help early retirees has effectively been looted by 24 organizations.  The Health and Human Services (HHS) program has paid out $2.9 billion with a majority going to government entities and union health plans.

"It is obscene that these Obama-favored institutions look at this and other programs like a trick or treater views an unattended candy bowl.   Not surprisingly, the United Auto Workers Medical Benefits Trust received the largest amount of taxpayer largesse. 

"It is time for Obama to end these payoffs to politically connected constituencies and return the remaining funds for the program to the U.S. Treasury.   Taxpayers are tired of the gluttony of Obama's union friends."

US Rep. Frank Guinta marks Nat'l. Health Center Week by touring Manchester Ctr. on Wednesday

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has declared August 7-13 “National Health Center Week.”   It is a time to recognize the role public health centers play in providing access to quality health care for medically vulnerable and underserved people in the U.S.

Congressman Frank Guinta is observing the week by visiting the Manchester Community Health Center.  

Rep. Guinta released this statement:  “I urge all Granite Staters to learn more about the services that are provided at community health centers.  I salute the staffs of all the facilities located in the First Congressional District:  Avis Goodwin CHC - Rochester and Dover; Exeter Hospital; Families First Health Center - Portsmouth; Families in Transition-FIT - Manchester; Greater Manchester Mental Health; Health First FHC – Laconia; Lamprey Health – Newmarket and Raymond; LRG Healthcare- Dental CTR. – Laconia; Manchester Community Health Center; New Horizons Shelter – Manchester.”

WHO:       U.S. Representative Frank Guinta (R, NH-01)      

WHAT:     Tour of Manchester Community Health Center

WHEN:     4:00 – 5:00 p.m.   Wednesday, August 10, 2011      

WHERE:  145 Hollis Street     Manchester, NH  03101        

CEI Daily - Judgment Funds, IHOP, and Wild Tigers

Judgment Fund

Government judgment funds essentially serve as slush funds for NGOs who want to sue government agencies for not enforcing regulations enough.

Warren Brookes Fellow Kathryn Ciano outlines how taxpayers are now on the hook for expensive litigation.

"The federal government is paying environmental advocacy organizations billions of dollars — to fund lawsuits against itself. When the government has to pay or settle, the green groups dip into the public trough yet again. [...] Government agencies’ 'judgment funds' act as a slush fund for lawyers and special interests. These funds set money aside to fund lawyers’ costs for lawsuits and the payouts from these suits, which benefit lawyers and agencies. Taxpayers are paying both sides — and we don’t even get to see the numbers."

IHOP The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is subsidizing the construction of an IHOP in a rich D.C. neighborhood. Senior Counsel Hans Bader points out the irony of the HHS pouring money into a pancake house while other agencies work to curb American obesity. "While HHS is busy subsidizing IHOP, another branch of HHS, the FDA, is trying to restrict the salt content of food, which could lead to increased obesity rates, more heart attacks, and 'higher death rates among some individuals,' and make it harder to market low-fat foods. Ironically, if salt levels are curbed, people will compensate by eating fattier food, since there seems to be a trade-off between salt and fat."

Wild Tigers

The population of the wild tiger is dwindling.

Research Associate Brian McGraw argues that continuing to crack down on poaching will not solve the problem.

"More of the same will not work. Poachers will continue to be allured by large profits and conservation efforts will not succeed. Allow tigers to be traded internationally. There is some worry that the Chinese truly prefer 'wild tigers' rather than one which would be raised by humans, though I cannot imagine that their would be much hesitation when the price of tigers drops precipitously due to market forces. The incentive to poach tigers will disappear, and breeders of tigers will ensure there is an adequate number of tigers remaining to assist with re-breeding efforts if that becomes necessary."