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Washington Update
*Information on condom use, abortion and breast cancer, and reducing sexual activity among teenagers has been removed quietly from government Web sites over the past year, and critics of HHS accuse the department of censoring these pages in an attempt to promote a sexual abstinence policy. Rep. Henry A. Waxman, D-Calif., has been especially outspoken about the "purge," suggesting that political ideology has gained the upper hand on sound science at HHS. Officials at HHS counter that the pages have been removed to update them for "accuracy and scientific relevance." Read more about the issue on the New York Times Web site (free registration required): www.nytimes.com
*The wait for federal dollars drags on, as the "lame duck" session 107th Congress finishes up its post-election business and heads home for a long holiday recess in late November. Unable to push through most of the necessary appropriations for FY2003, Congress passed its fifth continuing resolution to keep funding at FY2002 levels for all agencies, including NIH, through January 11, 2003. Don't expect any further action on the appropriations front until the 108th Congress convenes next year.
*The 107th Congress did send a bill to the White House that puts the National Science Foundation on track to double its budget in five years, which could prove to be a boon for biobehavioral researchers with interdisciplinary projects. President Bush is expected to sign the bill, which provides a significant increase in math and science education spending.
*The Mental Health Equitable Treatment Act (S. 543/H.R. 4066), a bill to provide parity in health insurance for individuals who suffer from mental health disorders, did not pass the 107th Congress. Instead, Congress gave final approval to a bill extending the Mental Health Parity Act of 1996 for one year, to Dec. 31, 2003. Legislative gridlock and the untimely death of sponsor Sen. Paul Wellstone may have contributed to the new bill's downfall. All parity advocates should be ready for a renewed push to pass the legislation in the 108th Congress.
*Members of the Federation of Behavioral, Psychological and Cognitive Sciences responded to an urgent call from HHS Secretary Tommy Thompson's office to nominate members of a re-established National Human Research Protection Advisory Committee (NHRPAC). The call for nominations came in response to an October letter from the Federation, expressing concern over the possible demise of NHRPAC and urging the secretary to seek the advice from the biobehavioral community before revamping the committee membership. Based on your recommendations, the Federation nominated four people for the committee: Judy DeLoache (University of Virginia), Celia Fisher (Fordham University), Felice Levine (American Educational Research Association) and Jack McArdle (University of Virginia).
*Potential allies in the halls of power? Three new health professionals were elected to Congress in November, bringing the total to 21 in the 108th Congress. Michael Burgess, R-Texas, and Phil Gingery, R-Ga., both ob/gyns, and child psychologist Tim Murphy, R-Pa., will take the oath of office for the House of Representatives in January.
*Surgeon General Richard Carmona named disease prevention research a top priority for his office at a recent forum co-sponsored by Research!America and The Public Policy Institute of Southern Illinois University. Carmona cited obesity, diabetes, asthma and trauma as some of the most pressing health issues facing Americans, and praised prevention research's potential for addressing these problems.
*HHS has awarded $85 million to programs administered by NIH's National Center on Minority Health and Health Disparities and the HHS Office of Minority Health to support the elimination of health disparities among racial and ethnic minority communities. The money will go to support disparity research and research collaborations across the country, loan repayments for certain qualified health disparity researchers, and HIV/AIDS projects in minority communities. For more information on participating institutions, head to http://www.dhhs.gov/news/press/2002pres/20021101a.htmlwww.dhhs.gov
*More good news for minority health: The National Institute of Nursing Research is establishing a five-year, $15 million program that creates eight new nursing Partnership Centers to address disparities in minority health care. The Centers will join university nursing schools with established disparity research programs with those schools developing similar research programs and training significant numbers of minority students. For a list of the eight centers and more information on the program, go to the NINR Web site.
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