December 14, 2009

Fewer than 170 offices remain under review for possible consolidation under the U.S. Postal Service station and branch consolidation initiative. Today's announcement updates a review process begun earlier this summer that initially examined about 3,300 stations and branches in urban and suburban areas across the country, focusing on facilities in relatively close proximity to one another. The initiative looks to determine where consolidations might be feasible without compromising customer access to postal services. The Postal Service receives no tax subsidy to operate the nation's mail service. Revenues from the sale of postage, products and services fund its operations. At the conclusion of its 2009 fiscal year in October, the Postal Service reported a loss of $3.8 billion. "To shore up its finances, the Postal Service is looking at every aspect of its business to economize. Reducing over-capacity in retail and delivery operations is a smart business move. Every effort is being made to maintain and improve customer access to postal services," said Steven J. Forte, senior vice president, Operations. Full release.

The Hemophilia Federation of America (HFA) expresses its concern regarding the ongoing labor issues involving the Teamsters Local 929 and the American Red Cross of Pennsylvania /New Jersey. The national blood system depends on skilled workers to provide clean, safe blood to laboratories. The blood is distilled into products such as clotting factor for use in treating hemophilia and von Willebrand disease. The Division of Blood Services at the American Red Cross forms an integral link in America's blood supply. We would encourage the American Red Cross to re-commit itself to maintaining a safe, clean, and healthful presence inside America's larger health infrastructure. Blood collection at the Red Cross continues to be subject to a sixteen-year-old consent decree stemming from Federal Court action. The nature of this civil matter raises serious questions. The ongoing contract impasse and labor action serve as just the latest evidence of a pattern of behavior which seems to place cost ahead of the health and well-being of both workers and end-users of blood products. Full release.

The United Nations announced today it is permanently banning thousands of accredited non-governmental organizations from the COP-15 climate conference in Copenhagen. The restriction was announced today outside the Copenhagen conference center after several thousand accredited NGO conference delegates, including three from the National Center for Public Policy Research, waited outside for eight hours or longer in 32-degree F temperatures for admission. NGOs apparently are being banned because the United Nations accredited 45,000 people for a building with a capacity of 15,000, although the stated reason was "security concerns." The "security concerns" may be related to the fact that, after waiting several hours in the cold, delegations began to chant, "Let us in! Let us in!" "To be an 'accredited' or 'admitted' NGO to a COP conference, NGOs must apply months in advance, and typically only make travel plans to attend after receiving complete credentials from the United Nations," said Amy Ridenour, president of the National Center for Public Policy Research, an accredited COP-15 NGO organization that is as of now banned from the conference. "To give credentials to 45,000 people while choosing a building that holds 15,000 people is insane, although the United Nations, to be fair, has never been known for competence." Full release.

Amnesty International USA Executive Director Larry Cox issued the following statement in response to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's address today at Georgetown University outlining the Obama administration's human rights agenda for the 21st century: "Secretary Clinton rightly identifies accountability as the centerpiece of any successful human rights agenda for the United States. But if the administration means what it says, then it needs to follow through and back up rhetoric with actions. Discussion of human rights can't be an empty rebranding exercise. "The President should appoint a bipartisan commission to investigate the abuses connected to counterterrorism policies since September 11, 2001. The administration must adhere to executive orders already in effect and close the prison at Guantanamo and abide by international legal commitments to end torture. Full release.

Following is a statement by Linda A. Suydam, D.P.A., president of the Consumer Healthcare Products Association (CHPA), regarding today's release of the National Institute on Drug Abuse's (NIDA's) Monitoring the Future survey: "Findings released today on this year's Monitoring the Future survey speak to the need for continued efforts to educate and empower parents with the information they need to talk to their teens about medicine abuse. The Consumer Healthcare Products Association (CHPA) believes these findings serve as a reminder of the importance of education and talking to teens about the dangers of over-the-counter (OTC) cough medicine abuse. While we are pleased to see that rates of cough medicine abuse have not increased in the past year, consistency is key in the effort to educate teens about the dangers of medicine abuse. CHPA wants to remind parents to continue to maintain an ongoing dialogue with their teens to prevent the risk of medicine abuse affecting their family. The leading makers of OTC cough medicines will continue their commitment to engage parents and raise awareness about the dangers of the abuse of cough medicines containing the active ingredient, dextromethorphan. The Monitoring the Future study is conducted out of the University of Michigan and is considered one of the preeminent teen substance abuse surveys in the United States. Full release.

The United States Senate yesterday passed a package of spending bills for FY 2010, which included a historic new investment in efforts to prevent teen pregnancy. The Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies Appropriations bill includes a total of $114 million for a new evidence-based teen pregnancy prevention program. This funding is the first and only large scale federal investment dedicated to preventing teen pregnancy through proven, effective efforts. The House of Representatives approved the spending bills last Thursday, and the President is expected to sign it into law by Friday, December 18th. The teen pregnancy prevention initiative provides $75 million for programs that have been shown through rigorous evaluation to positively affect teens' behavior, and $25 million for research and demonstration on promising models and innovative strategies. The provision also includes $10 million for technical assistance, training, and other supportive activities to assist the department in effectively running the program, and an additional $4.5 million for program evaluation. The funding will be administered by a new Office of Adolescent Health in the Office of the Secretary of Health and Human Services. The initiative is very similar to what President Obama proposed in his FY 2010 budget. Full release.

Governor David A. Paterson's Task Force on Transforming Juvenile Justice today released its final report, Charting a New Course: A Blueprint for Transforming Juvenile Justice in New York State. The report calls on state officials to reinvest in community-based, rehabilitative, treatment-focused services that can improve outcomes for youth and their families while also ensuring greater public safety. "The Task Force's recommendations will bring New York State in line with best practices that can help troubled youth and their families, protect the public, and optimize scarce state resources," said Task Force Chair Jeremy Travis, President of John Jay College. The Task Force included state and local officials, representatives from unions, advocacy groups, and community-based organizations, as well as academic experts from across the United States. It was asked to move the State toward a system that promotes public safety, holds youth accountable for their actions, and produces positive outcomes for young people and their families. Full release.

The 2009 Monitoring the Future Survey released today by the National Institute of Drug Abuse shows that the nation continues to make gradual progress in reducing youth smoking, but declines have slowed significantly compared to the dramatic gains early in the decade. In especially troubling news, the survey also finds that smokeless tobacco use has increased among 10th and 12th graders in recent years, a period during which tobacco companies have introduced a slew of new smokeless tobacco products and significantly increased marketing for smokeless tobacco. There is no question that we know how to dramatically reduce youth tobacco use. The use of proven strategies has caused smoking rates (the percentage who have smoked in the past 30 days) to decline by 69 percent among 8th graders, 57 percent among 10th graders and 45 percent among 12th graders since peaking in the mid-1990s. This is a remarkable public health success story. Full release.

Congressional leaders must ensure that health reform includes a health workforce planning body with sufficient authority to ensure implementation of an integrated, coordinated national health workforce policy, according to Dr. Steven A Wartman, president and CEO of the Association of Academic Health Centers (AAHC). "With each step in the legislative process, the Congress has progressed toward a more effective health workforce planning process," Wartman said. "Still missing from both House and Senate bills is a mechanism -- such as national health workforce commission recommendations that automatically go into effect unless overridden by Congress -- to ensure timely implementation of the recommendations," added Wartman, urging Congress to address this concern before finalizing the legislation. An updated analysis of the current House and Senate bills released today by the AAHC identifies additional strengths and weaknesses in the bills when measured against the AAHC's own health workforce recommendations. Full release.

Several of Rhode Island's most prominent leaders in research, medicine and biotechnology gathered today at Brown University's Medical Research Facility to discuss the importance of medical innovation in Rhode Island and throughout the United States. Richard Gephardt, former Majority Leader of the U.S. House of Representatives, President and CEO of Gephardt Government Affairs and chairman of the Council for American Medical Innovation, moderated the Best and Brightest Forum on Medical Innovation. The forum highlighted the contributions of innovators in the state, and addressed the challenges facing the life sciences sector here. Participants in the forum called for new policies to support medical innovation, science and discovery - suggesting that discoveries in the life sciences and medicine are critical to economic recovery in Rhode Island and across the country. Full release.

The Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers (AHAM), the United States (US) based trade group representing the home appliance industry, today issued The Home Appliance Industry's Principles & Requirements for Achieving a Widely Accepted Smart Grid during the 15th United Nations Climate Change Conference. Smart Grid enabled home appliances, through a fully functional Smart Grid, will contribute greatly to reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Also, Smart Grid enabled appliances will help to better integrate and coordinate renewable energy resources. Home appliances are already a success story in terms of energy efficiency and environmental protection. New appliances often represent the most effective choice a consumer can make to reduce home energy use and costs. While new appliance standards will further add to this success story, a much greater opportunity exists with making appliances "smart." Smart Appliances will reduce peak energy demand and make the electrical power grid more efficient. For example, a Smart refrigerator or clothes dryer could defer a portion of its operating cycle to a time of day when true energy costs are lower and power generation is ample. Not only will this save the consumer money through reduced electric bills, but it will help reduce the need for additional peaker power plants. Full release.

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