[From nobody Sun Jul 29 15:59:36 2007 Return-path: <KMATTOX@aol.com> From: KMATTOX@aol.com Full-name: KMATTOX Message-ID: <caf.16d89f73.33de01ca@aol.com> Date: Sun, 29 Jul 2007 10:44:26 EDT Subject: (no subject) To: KMATTOX@aol.com MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary="-----------------------------1185720266" X-Mailer: AOL 9.0 VR sub 100 -------------------------------1185720266 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Content-Language: en =20 =20 Former surgeon general Richard Carmona has said he was admonished for tryin= g=20 to release a public health report that was not political. JOHNNY HANSON: CHRONICLE FILE =20 July 28, 2007, 11:54PM 2006 health report never was released, officials say Surgeon general's call to aid in global problems may have been killed for=20 not promoting policy By CHRISTOPHER LEE and MARC KAUFMAN Washington Post =20 =20 =20 =20 TOOLS _Email=20 _ (javascript:void(0)) _Get section feed=20 _ (http://www.chron.com/rss/nation/index.rss) _Print=20 _ (http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/nation/5009024.html#) _Subscribe NOW=20 _ (http://www.chron.com/subscribe) _Comments=20 _ (http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/nation/5009024.html#comments_jump) =20 =20 =20 _Recommend _ (http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/nation/5009024.html#none)=20 WASHINGTON =E2=80=94 A surgeon general's report in 2006 that called on Ameri= cans to =20 help tackle global health problems has been kept from the public by a Bush =20 political appointee without any background or expertise in medicine or publi= c =20 health, chiefly because the report did not promote the administration's poli= cy =20 accomplishments, according to current and former public health officials.=20 The report described the link between poverty and poor health, urged the U.S= .=20 government to make helping combat widespread diseases a key aim of its=20 foreign policy, and called on corporations to help improve health condition= s in=20 the countries where they operate. A copy of the report was obtained by The=20= =20 Washington Post.=20 Three people directly involved in its preparation said its publication was =20 blocked by William Steiger, who has run the Office of Global Health Affairs=20= in =20 the Department of Health and Human Services since 2001. Steiger is a=20 specialist in education and a scholar of Latin American history, and his fa= mily has=20 long ties to President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney.=20 Richard Carmona, who commissioned the "Call to Action on Global Health" whil= e=20 surgeon general from 2002 to 2006, recently cited its suppression as an=20 example of the Bush administration's frequent efforts during his tenure to=20= give =20 scientific documents a political twist.=20 At a July 10 House committee hearing, Carmona did not cite Steiger by name o= r=20 detail the report's contents and its implications for American public =20 health.=20 Carmona told lawmakers that, as he fought to release the document, he was =20 "called in and again admonished ... via a senior official who said, 'You don= 't =20 get it.' " He said a senior official told him that "this will be a political= =20 document, or it will not be released."=20 After a long struggle that pitted top scientific and medical experts inside=20= =20 and outside the government against Steiger and his political bosses, Carmona= =20 refused to make the requested changes, according to the officials. Carmona =20 engaged in similar fights over other reports, including an unpublished repor= t on=20 prison health.=20 A few days before the end of his term as the nation's senior medical officer= ,=20 he was abruptly told he would not be reappointed.=20 Steiger did not return a phone call seeking his comment, but said in a =20 written statement released by an HHS spokesman Friday that the report contai= ned =20 information that was "often inaccurate or out-of-date and it lacked analysis= and=20 focus."=20 Steiger confirmed that he sharply disagreed with Carmona on the issue of how= =20 much the report should promote Bush administration policies.=20 "A document meant to educate the American public about health as a global =20 challenge and urge them to action should at least let Americans know what th= eir =20 generosity is already doing in helping to solve those challenges," Steiger =20 said.=20 Steiger said "political considerations" did not delay the report; "sloppy =20 work, poor analysis and lack of scientific rigor did." Asked about the repor= t's =20 handling, an HHS spokeswoman said Friday it is still "under development."=20 The draft report itself, in language linking public health problems with =20 violence and other social ills, says "we cannot overstate ... that problems=20= in =20 remote parts of the globe can no longer be ignored. Diseases that Americans=20 once read about as affecting people in regions ... most of us would never v= isit=20 are now capable of reaching us directly.=20 " The hunger, disease, and death resulting from poor food and nutrition =20 create social and political instability ... and that instability may spread=20= to =20 other nations as people migrate to survive," it says.=20 In 65 pages, the report charts trends in infectious and chronic disease; =20 reviews efforts to curb AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria; calls for the carefu= l =20 monitoring of public health to safeguard against bioterrorism; and explains=20= the =20 importance of proper nutrition, childhood immunizations and clean air and=20 water, among other topics.=20 Its underlying message is that disease and suffering do not respect politica= l=20 boundaries in an era of globalization and mass population movements.=20 The report was compiled by government and private public-health experts from= =20 various organizations, including the National Institutes of Health, the=20 Catholic Medical Mission Board and several universities. Steiger's global h= ealth=20 office provided the funding and staff to lead the effort because the surgeo= n=20 general's office has no budget and few staff members. ************************************** Get a sneak peek of the all-new AOL a= t=20 http://discover.aol.com/memed/aolcom30tour -------------------------------1185720266 Content-Type: text/html; charset="UTF-8" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Content-Language: en <!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN"> <HTML><HEAD> <META http-equiv=3DContent-Type content=3D"text/html; charset=3DUTF-8"> <META content=3D"MSHTML 6.00.6000.16481" name=3DGENERATOR></HEAD> <BODY id=3Drole_body style=3D"FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: #000000; FONT-FAMILY:=20= Arial"=20 bottomMargin=3D7 leftMargin=3D7 topMargin=3D7 rightMargin=3D7><FONT id=3Drol= e_document=20 face=3DArial color=3D#000000 size=3D2> <DIV> <TABLE style=3D"MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px; WIDTH: 575px" cellSpacing=3D0 cellPaddin= g=3D0=20 border=3D0> <TBODY> <TR> <TD style=3D"PADDING-BOTTOM: 4px"> <DIV class=3Ddescription=20 style=3D"MIN-HEIGHT: 231px; OVERFLOW: hidden; WIDTH: 224px; MAX-HEIGHT= : 231px"> <DIV id=3Dcaptiontemplate>Former surgeon general Richard Carmona has s= aid he=20 was admonished for trying to release a public health report that was n= ot=20 political.</DIV><!-- credit and caption --> <DIV class=3Dcaption id=3Dcredittemplate style=3D"TEXT-ALIGN: left"><B= >JOHNNY=20 HANSON</B><B>:</B> CHRONICLE FILE</DIV></DIV></TD> <TD width=3D0 rowSpan=3D2></TD> <TD rowSpan=3D2> <DIV=20 style=3D"MIN-WIDTH: 350px; MIN-HEIGHT: 231px; MAX-WIDTH: 350px; OVERFL= OW: hidden; WIDTH: 350px; MAX-HEIGHT: 231px; HEIGHT: 231px"><IMG=20 id=3Dgallery_image alt=3Dphotos=20 src=3D"http://images.chron.com/photos/2005/11/18/7238059/311xInlineGal= lery.jpg"=20 vspace=3D1 border=3D0 name=3Dphotoslidertemplate> </DIV></TD></TR> <TR> <TD style=3D"VERTICAL-ALIGN: bottom" colSpan=3D3></TD></TR></TBODY></TAB= LE><!-- end f.attachment.f.top-photo --><BR=20 clear=3Dleft> <P><SPAN class=3Dtimestamp><FONT color=3D#ef4d15><B>July 28, 2007,=20 11:54PM</B><BR></FONT></SPAN><SPAN class=3Dstoryheading3><STRONG><FONT size= =3D5>2006=20 health report never was released, officials say<BR></FONT></STRONG></SPAN><F= ONT=20 size=3D3><SPAN class=3Dstorydeck3>Surgeon general's call to aid in global pr= oblems=20 may have been killed for not promoting policy</SPAN><BR></FONT></P> <P class=3Dcopyright><SPAN class=3Dauthor><STRONG><FONT size=3D1>By CHRISTOP= HER LEE=20 and MARC KAUFMAN<BR></FONT></STRONG></SPAN>Washington Post </P> <DIV class=3Dbodycopy><!-- rbox goes here --> <DIV class=3Dinlinead style=3D"MARGIN-TOP: 0px; WIDTH: 260px"> <DIV class=3DnoPrint style=3D"PADDING-BOTTOM: 3px; WIDTH: 260px"> <DIV class=3Dwhiteblocktitle=20 style=3D"PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 3px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 3px; PADDING= -TOP: 2px; BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(46,97,150)">TOOLS</DIV> <TABLE cellSpacing=3D0 cellPadding=3D0 width=3D260 border=3D0> <TBODY> <TR> <TD height=3D20><A href=3D"javascript:void(0)"> <DIV class=3DtoolLink=20 style=3D"BACKGROUND-POSITION: 5px 2px; DISPLAY: inline; PADDING-LEFT:=20= 30px; BACKGROUND-IMAGE: url(http://images.chron.com/photos/2006/09/21/email/= email.gif); BACKGROUND-REPEAT: no-repeat; HEIGHT: 20px"><FONT=20 color=3D#005fa4>Email </FONT></DIV></A></TD> <TD height=3D20><A href=3D"http://www.chron.com/rss/nation/index.rss"=20 s_oc=3D"null"> <DIV class=3DtoolLink=20 style=3D"BACKGROUND-POSITION: 5px 2px; DISPLAY: inline; PADDING-LEFT:=20= 45px; BACKGROUND-IMAGE: url(http://images.chron.com/photos/2006/06/06/rss49X= 12/rss49X12.jpg); PADDING-BOTTOM: 2px; BACKGROUND-REPEAT: no-repeat; HEIGHT:= 20px"><FONT=20 color=3D#005fa4>Get section feed </FONT></DIV></A></TD></TR> <TR> <TD height=3D22><A=20 href=3D"http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/nation/5009024.html#"> <DIV class=3DtoolLink=20 style=3D"BACKGROUND-POSITION: 5px 0px; DISPLAY: inline; PADDING-LEFT:=20= 30px; BACKGROUND-IMAGE: url(http://images.chron.com/photos/2006/09/21/print/= print.gif); PADDING-BOTTOM: 2px; BACKGROUND-REPEAT: no-repeat; HEIGHT: 20px"= ><FONT=20 color=3D#005fa4>Print </FONT></DIV></A></TD> <TD><A href=3D"http://www.chron.com/subscribe" s_oc=3D"null"> <DIV class=3DtoolLink=20 style=3D"BACKGROUND-POSITION: 3px -1px; DISPLAY: inline; PADDING-LEFT:= 24px; BACKGROUND-IMAGE: url(http://images.chron.com/photos/2006/09/22/yello= w_star/yellow_star.gif); PADDING-BOTTOM: 1px; BACKGROUND-REPEAT: no-repeat;=20= HEIGHT: 20px"><FONT=20 color=3D#005fa4>Subscribe NOW </FONT></DIV></A></TD></TR> <TR> <TD><A=20 href=3D"http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/nation/5009024.html#commen= ts_jump"=20 s_oc=3D"null"> <DIV class=3DtoolLink=20 style=3D"BACKGROUND-POSITION: 9px -1px; DISPLAY: inline; PADDING-LEFT:= 30px; BACKGROUND-IMAGE: url(http://images.chron.com/photos/2007/04/23/penci= l/pencil.gif); PADDING-BOTTOM: 1px; BACKGROUND-REPEAT: no-repeat; HEIGHT: 20= px"><FONT=20 color=3D#005fa4>Comments </FONT></DIV></A></TD> <TD> <DIV class=3DtoolLink style=3D"MARGIN-LEFT: 5px"> <DIV class=3DRecommend id=3DRecommend1185720224500> <DIV style=3D"DISPLAY: inline"> <DIV class=3DRecommend_Container><A class=3DSiteLife_Recommend=20 href=3D"http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/nation/5009024.html#none">= <FONT=20 color=3D#005fa4>Recommend=20 </FONT></A></DIV></DIV></DIV></DIV></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></DIV><!-- end=20= toolbox --><!-- Airport Code (Kayak) --><!-- end Airport Code (Kayak) --><!-= - <TM PL_VAR NAME=3D"f.component.6"> --></DIV><!-- rbox ends here --> <P>WASHINGTON =E2=80=94 A surgeon general's report in 2006 that called on Am= ericans to=20 help tackle global health problems has been kept from the public by a Bush=20 political appointee without any background or expertise in medicine or publi= c=20 health, chiefly because the report did not promote the administration's poli= cy=20 accomplishments, according to current and former public health officials.</P= > <P>The report described the link between poverty and poor health, urged the=20= U.S.=20 government to make helping combat widespread diseases a key aim of its forei= gn=20 policy, and called on corporations to help improve health conditions in the=20 countries where they operate. A copy of the report was obtained by The=20 Washington Post.</P> <P>Three people directly involved in its preparation said its publication wa= s=20 blocked by William Steiger, who has run the Office of Global Health Affairs=20= in=20 the Department of Health and Human Services since 2001. Steiger is a special= ist=20 in education and a scholar of Latin American history, and his family has lon= g=20 ties to President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney.</P> <P>Richard Carmona, who commissioned the "Call to Action on Global Health" w= hile=20 surgeon general from 2002 to 2006, recently cited its suppression as an exam= ple=20 of the Bush administration's frequent efforts during his tenure to give=20 scientific documents a political twist.</P> <P>At a July 10 House committee hearing, Carmona did not cite Steiger by nam= e or=20 detail the report's contents and its implications for American public=20 health.</P> <P>Carmona told lawmakers that, as he fought to release the document, he was= =20 "called in and again admonished ... via a senior official who said, 'You don= 't=20 get it.' " He said a senior official told him that "this will be a political= =20 document, or it will not be released."</P> <P>After a long struggle that pitted top scientific and medical experts insi= de=20 and outside the government against Steiger and his political bosses, Carmona= =20 refused to make the requested changes, according to the officials. Carmona=20 engaged in similar fights over other reports, including an unpublished repor= t on=20 prison health.</P> <P>A few days before the end of his term as the nation's senior medical offi= cer,=20 he was abruptly told he would not be reappointed.</P> <P>Steiger did not return a phone call seeking his comment, but said in a=20 written statement released by an HHS spokesman Friday that the report contai= ned=20 information that was "often inaccurate or out-of-date and it lacked analysis= and=20 focus."</P> <P>Steiger confirmed that he sharply disagreed with Carmona on the issue of=20= how=20 much the report should promote Bush administration policies.</P> <P>"A document meant to educate the American public about health as a global= =20 challenge and urge them to action should at least let Americans know what th= eir=20 generosity is already doing in helping to solve those challenges," Steiger=20 said.</P> <P>Steiger said "political considerations" did not delay the report; "sloppy= =20 work, poor analysis and lack of scientific rigor did." Asked about the repor= t's=20 handling, an HHS spokeswoman said Friday it is still "under development."</P= > <P>The draft report itself, in language linking public health problems with=20 violence and other social ills, says "we cannot overstate ... that problems=20= in=20 remote parts of the globe can no longer be ignored. Diseases that Americans=20= once=20 read about as affecting people in regions ... most of us would never visit a= re=20 now capable of reaching us directly.</P> <P>" The hunger, disease, and death resulting from poor food and nutrition=20 create social and political instability ... and that instability may spread=20= to=20 other nations as people migrate to survive," it says.</P> <P>In 65 pages, the report charts trends in infectious and chronic disease;=20 reviews efforts to curb AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria; calls for the carefu= l=20 monitoring of public health to safeguard against bioterrorism; and explains=20= the=20 importance of proper nutrition, childhood immunizations and clean air and wa= ter,=20 among other topics.</P> <P>Its underlying message is that disease and suffering do not respect polit= ical=20 boundaries in an era of globalization and mass population movements.</P> <P>The report was compiled by government and private public-health experts f= rom=20 various organizations, including the National Institutes of Health, the Cath= olic=20 Medical Mission Board and several universities. Steiger's global health offi= ce=20 provided the funding and staff to lead the effort because the surgeon genera= l's=20 office has no budget and few staff=20 members.</P></DIV><!-- end bodycopy --></DIV></FONT><BR><BR><BR><DIV><FONT s= tyle=3D"color: black; font: normal 10pt ARIAL, SAN-SERIF;"><HR style=3D"MARG= IN-TOP: 10px">Get a sneak peek of the all-new <A title=3D"http://discover.ao= l.com/memed/aolcom30tour/?ncid=3DAOLAOF00020000000982" href=3D"http://discov= er.aol.com/memed/aolcom30tour/?ncid=3DAOLAOF00020000000982" target=3D"_blank= ">AOL.com</A>.</FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML> -------------------------------1185720266-- ]