U.S. Health and Human Services Announcements RSS Feed

Last Updated: Mar 16, 2008 - 11:04:56 AM

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U.S. Health and Human Services Announcements
Remembering Dad: Father’s Day: June 18
Nearly 95 million estimated number of Father’s Day cards were given last year in the United States, making Father’s Day the fourth-largest card-sending occasion. (Source: Hallmark research)
Apr 28, 2006 - 6:14:00 AM

U.S. Health and Human Services Announcements
HHS to Make Available Federal Surplus Property for Supportive Housing to Assist the Homeless
HHS Deputy Secretary Alex Azar today announced that local governments and community groups will soon be able to use federal surplus property for permanent, supportive housing. This housing is to be provided in conjunction with other services that address mental and physical disabilities, substance use problems, and co-occurring mental and substance use disorders of individuals and families who are experiencing homelessness.
Jan 27, 2006 - 7:56:00 AM

U.S. Health and Human Services Announcements
Mice Studies Illustrate Potential of Chimp/Human Antibodies to Protect Against Smallpox
Results from a new study performed in mice indicate that hybrid laboratory antibodies derived from chimpanzees and humans may provide a potentially safe and effective way to treat the serious complications that can occur following smallpox vaccination — and possibly may even protect against the deadly disease itself.
Jan 24, 2006 - 7:53:00 AM

U.S. Health and Human Services Announcements
New Checklist Helps Faith-Based and Community Organizations Prepare for an Influenza Pandemic
HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt today announced the release of the “Faith-Based and Community Organizations Pandemic Influenza Checklist.” This tool provides guidance for religious organizations, social service agencies that are faith-based and community organizations to plan for the impact of a pandemic on their organization and mission.
Jan 12, 2006 - 10:10:00 PM

U.S. Health and Human Services Announcements
HHS Releases Pandemic Influenza Plan

Plan Provides Guidance to Prepare Nation’s Health Care System for a Pandemic

U.S. Health and Human Services Announcements
HHS Secretary Leavitt Unveils National PSA Campaign at Underage Drinking Prevention Summit in Washington, D.C.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) in partnership with the Ad Council, today launched a national public service advertising (PSA) campaign designed to prevent underage drinking. The campaign aims to encourage parents to speak to their children about alcohol in an effort to prevent and reduce underage drinking.

U.S. Health and Human Services Announcements
HHS Approves Tennessee Child Welfare Waiver
HHS Approves Tennessee Child Welfare Waiver - Initiative to Help Youth Live in Permanent, Stable Homes
Oct 15, 2005 - 3:50:00 PM

U.S. Health and Human Services Announcements
ACF Awards $200M in Welfare Bonuses
WASHINGTON, D.C. --- The Administration for Children and Families (ACF) at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) today announced $200 million in High Performance Bonuses from the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program. The awards to 41 states and the District of Columbia are for transitioning welfare recipients to work and for job retention, increased earnings or meeting other goals of welfare reform.
Oct 13, 2005 - 6:42:00 AM

U.S. Health and Human Services Announcements
ACF Awards $75M for Reduction in Out-of-Wedlock Births
WASHINGTON, D.C. --- The Administration for Children and Families (ACF) at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) today announced the awarding of $25 million bonuses each to New York, Utah and the District of Columbia for achieving significant decreases in out-of-wedlock births.
Oct 13, 2005 - 6:40:00 AM

U.S. Health and Human Services Announcements
Cold Treatment Protects Against Infant Disability and Death From Oxygen Loss

Oct 13, 2005 - 5:54:00 AM

U.S. Health and Human Services Announcements
Life-saving Information on Stroke Easily Accessible at NIHSeniorHealth

Each year, more than 700,000 strokes occur in the United States, nearly three-quarters of them in people over age 65. Because the risk of stroke more than doubles each decade after age 55, it is especially important for older Americans to know stroke’s warning signs and act quickly.

U.S. Health and Human Services Announcements
Researchers Discover How Malaria Parasite Disperses From Red Blood Cells

Researchers at the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development have determined the sequence in which the malaria parasite disperses from the red blood cells it infects. The National Institute of Child Health and Human Development is one of the National Institutes of Health.

U.S. Health and Human Services Announcements
Contraception For Women Aged Over 40 Years – U.S. Recommended Guidelines

Recommended contraception for sexually active women aged over 40 years.

U.S. Health and Human Services Announcements
Teens' Driving Riskier with Male Teen Passenger, Teen Boy's Driving Safer with Female Teen Passenger
Teenage drivers—both males and females—were more likely to tailgate and exceed the speed limit if there was a teenage male passenger in the front seat, according to a study by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development of the National Institutes of Health.
Aug 28, 2005 - 7:11:00 AM

U.S. Health and Human Services Announcements
Survey Uncovers Surprising Attitudes Towards HIV Vaccine Research

A survey of U.S. adults has found that a majority believe that HIV vaccines are the best hope for controlling the global AIDS epidemic and are confident such vaccines can be made. But while most of those surveyed felt it personally important to help support HIV vaccine research, a majority expressed reluctance to support a friend or family member’s participation in an HIV vaccine clinical trial.

U.S. Health and Human Services Announcements
New Research on Topical Vaginal Microbicides For Women may help Reduce the Spread of HIV and other Sexually Transmitted Infections

The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health, today announced an agreement with the International Partnership for Microbicides (IPM) to share information and expertise in an effort to develop vaginal microbicides, which are creams, gels or other substances that can be applied topically and may reduce the transmission of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections.

U.S. Health and Human Services Announcements
More Than Half the U.S. Population is Sensitive to One or More Allergens

More than fifty percent of the U.S. population tested positive to one or more allergens, according to a large national study. The new findings, based on data from the third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES III), shows that 54.3% of individuals aged 6-59 years old had a positive skin test response to at least one of the 10 allergens tested. The highest prevalence rates were for dust mite, rye, ragweed, and cockroach, with about 25% of the population testing positive to each allergen. Peanut allergy was the least common, with 9% of the population reacting positively to that food allergen.

U.S. Health and Human Services Announcements
New Study Find Links Consumption Of Alcohol With Increased Risk Of Cancer
Drinking alcoholic beverages has been linked to an increased risk of upper gastrointestinal cancer and other types of cancer. Researchers looking for the potential biochemical basis for this link have focused on acetaldehyde, a suspected carcinogen formed as the body metabolizes alcohol. In the journal Nucleic Acids Research (vol. 33, num. 11), scientists from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) report that polyamines – natural compounds essential for cell growth – react with acetaldehyde to trigger a series of reactions that damage DNA, an event that can lead to the formation of cancer
Aug 3, 2005 - 7:44:00 AM

U.S. Health and Human Services Announcements
Parents Report Estimated 2.7 Million Children with Emotional and Behavioral Problems

A special feature in the report, America's Children: Key National Indicators of Well-Being 2005 shows that nearly 5 percent—or an estimated 2.7 million children—are reported by their parents to suffer from definite or severe emotional or behavioral difficulties, problems that may interfere with their family life, their ability to learn, and their formation of friendships. These difficulties may persist throughout a child's development and lead to lifelong disability, including more serious illness, more difficult to treat illness, and co-occurring mental illnesses.

U.S. Health and Human Services Announcements
New Discovery May Help Doctors Treat Infertility

New research suggests that medications commonly referred to as fertility drugs may be ineffective for women who lack a gene called the estrogen receptor beta. The study showed that fertility drugs did not improve ovulation rates in mice that were genetically engineered to lack estrogen receptor beta.

U.S. Health and Human Services Announcements
Decline in Physical Activity Plays Key Role in Weight Gain Among Adolescent Girls

Girls who were inactive during adolescence gained an average of 10 to 15 pounds more than active girls, according to results of a 10-year observational study of obesity. Total calorie intake increased only slightly and was not associated with the weight gains. These new results show that a previously reported steep decline in physical activity among adolescent girls is directly associated with increased fatness and an increase of body mass index (BMI), a measure of body weight adjusted for height.

U.S. Health and Human Services Announcements
Diuretics Effective for People with Diabetes and High Blood Pressure

In people with diabetes, diuretics work as well as ACE-inhibitors and calcium channel blockers in protecting against heart attack and improving survival, and offer more protection against congestive heart failure.

U.S. Health and Human Services Announcements
Cancer Drug Slows Poxvirus in Mice

Mice given a relatively new cancer drug can survive an otherwise lethal dose of vaccinia virus, a relative of smallpox virus, report scientists supported by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health. The findings, say the investigators, suggest that Gleevec or similar drugs might be useful in preventing adverse side effects of smallpox vaccine. The classic smallpox vaccine is made from live, weakened vaccinia virus and is not recommended for people with compromised immunity, except in emergency situations where they may have been exposed to smallpox virus.

U.S. Health and Human Services Announcements
HHS Announces New Medicaid Program to Deliver Care at Home
HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt today announced a new Medicaid program that will give elderly and disabled Vermont residents more options to remain in their homes and communities and out of institutions.
Jun 14, 2005 - 6:56:00 AM

U.S. Health and Human Services Announcements
NIEHS Brings Researchers and Leaders Together to Find Environmental Solutions to Childhood Obesity

Washington, DC — National and community leaders join researchers today to sort out how a child’s environment increases the risk for obesity and to identify ways the environment can be changed to address this health epidemic. More than 700 people will gather for a two-day conference, “Environmental Solutions to Obesity in America’s Youth” sponsored by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, one of the National Institutes of Health.