Congressional Schedule
- On March 2, 2009, President Obama nominated Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius (D) to be his Health and Human Services secretary and named Nancy-Ann DeParle as director of the White House Office for Health Reform.
Sebelius served as Kansas' insurance commissioner before becoming governor. DeParle previously served as commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Human Services and worked in the Office of Management and Budget during the Clinton administration. DeParle oversaw Medicaid and Medicare as the administrator of the Health Care Financing Administration under the Clinton administration. DeParle currently is the managing director of private equity firm CCMP Capital and serves on the boards of several companies related to health care.
- The House Appropriation Subcommittee for Defense held a hearing on March 3, 2009, to examine Department of Defense’s (DoD’s) psychological health and traumatic brain injury programs. Ellen P. Embrey, deputy assistant secretary of defense for force health readiness and protection, and Brig. Gen. Loree K. Sutton, MD, director, Defense Centers of Excellence for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury testified on DoD’s improvement on Psychological health needs and Traumatic Brain Injury.
- On March 5, 2009, CNN reported that Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN's chief medical correspondent, has withdrawn his name from consideration as surgeon general of the United States
Military
Health Care News
- Dr. James P. Kelly, a neurologist and one of America’s top experts on treating concussions, has been appointed director of the new National Intrepid Center of Excellence (NICoE). The center, scheduled to open in spring 2010, will conduct research, diagnosis and treatment planning to help members of the military with psychological health problems and traumatic brain injury.
A component center of the Defense Centers of Excellence for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury (DCoE), the NICoE will be a 72,000-square-foot, two-story facility located on the Navy campus in Bethesda, Md
The new center is being built and equipped through the philanthropy of the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund, Fisher Foundation and other individuals and groups. When construction is completed, the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund will turn NICoE over to the Department of Defense. DCoE will then operate the center.
Kelly is on a leave of absence from his position as professor of neurosurgery and physical medicine and rehabilitation at the University of Colorado Denver School of Medicine. His past positions include assistant dean for graduate medical education at the University of Colorado School of Medicine and the neurology residency program director at Northwestern University medical school.
The new NICoE director has also served as director of the Brain Injury Program at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago. He was the neurologist for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League and is consulted frequently by professional, elite amateur and youth athletes who have sustained concussions.
Kelly co-authored the sports concussion guidelines of the American Academy of Neurology and the Standardized Assessment of Concussion that is widely used in athletic and military settings.
After graduating with bachelor’s and master’s degrees in psychology from Western Michigan University, Kelly graduated from medical school at Northwestern University and completed his neurology residency and behavioral neurology fellowship at the University of Colorado. http://www.health.mil/Press/Release.aspx?ID=568
- TRICARE Management Activity (TMA) announced that Rear Adm. Christine S. Hunter will become the next deputy director of TMA after Army Maj. Gen. Elder Granger retires in May.
Currently assigned as commander, Navy Medicine West and Naval Medical Center San Diego, she has sponsored the Comprehensive Combat & Complex Casualty Care (C5) Center, the premier West Coast program for wounded warriors of all services recovering from physical injuries, traumatic brain injury and post traumatic stress disorder.
Prior to reporting to Navy Medicine West, Hunter was the chief of staff, Bureau of Medicine and Surgery, from 2004-06 where she ensured the ongoing deployment of medical personnel in support of the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan and organized medical support for tsunami, earthquake, and hurricane relief missions. Earlier in her career, she served as Pacific fleet surgeon and commanding officer of Naval Hospital Bremerton.
Hunter earned her Bachelor of Arts and Doctorate of Medicine degrees with honors from Boston University and is triple-board certified in internal medicine and hematology and oncology. As director, medical services, at Naval Medical Center San Diego from 1995-98, she developed the Medicare subvention program that served as the model for TRICARE for Life. In her role as executive assistant to the Navy surgeon general from 1998-2000, she focused on ensuring consistent delivery of the TRICARE benefit to the Navy fleet, defining best clinical and business practices in primary care. http://www.health.mil/Press/Release.aspx?ID=564
- The latest additions to the series of Courage to Care fact sheets targeted to support military servicemembers and their families are now available on the Web. Suicide Facts for Primary Care Providers: Helping Service Members and Families Overcome Barriers to Care"; "Suicide Facts: What Military Families Should Know to Help Loved Ones Who May Be at Risk"; and, "Health Literacy: Addressing Communication Barriers to Foster Patient Self-Care and Family Care" have been added to the collection of educational resources available from the Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress (CSTS) at http://tinyurl.com/bk58gx.
The rate of suicides has increased for service members over the past few years. To help identify those at risk and help them access care, the newest issues of Courage to Care address suicide warning signs, risk factors and the barriers to care often felt by those in need.
Courage to Care is an ongoing health communication initiative of Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USU) and CSTS, which is partnering center of the Defense Centers of Excellence for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury. Courage to Care shares timely and important issues to enhance and sustain the well-being of our military community.
USU is the nation’s federal school of medicine and graduate school of nursing. The university educates health care professionals for the Department of Defense and the U.S. Public Health Service. Students are active-duty uniformed officers who are trained to deal with wartime casualties, natural disasters, emerging infectious diseases, and other public health emergencies.
- TRICARE Management Activity (TMA) won two top overall communications awards for 2008.
TRICARE’s Communications and Customer Service (C&CS) directorate won the League of American Communications Professionals (LACP) Impact Award for “Best Overall Organizational Communications Program.” C&CS Director S. Dian Lawhon won “Best Director-Level Executive.” C&CS also received recognition in the “Internet and New Media” category.
More than 100 entries were received worldwide, including entries from American Express, Amerigroup Corporation and Onmi Hotels, as well as the U.S. Army for the 2008 Impact Awards.
TRICARE C&CS is comprised of five branches: Customer Communications and Training, Web Services, Publications, Research and Analysis and Public Affairs. The five teams work closely together to provide information to TRICARE beneficiaries via multiple communication channels—delivering information to beneficiaries in a way that best meets their needs.
Beneficiaries can sign up for custom e-mail alerts on TRICARE news and benefit changes through the press room link on the front page of http://www.tricare.mil.
- The Department of Defense has opened the Bagram Freedom Restoration Center to help servicemembers serving in Afghanistan who need mental health support. It is the first mental health clinic for troops in Afghanistan and is designed to provide servicemembers skills to cope with combat stress and the rigors of deployment, and return them to duty quickly.
The clinic hosts a three- to five-day structured program covering numerous topics, including anger management, common task training, post-traumatic stress disorder awareness and warrior resiliency.
The program has a standard outline for all enrolled service members, but also can be tailored to the specific needs of individuals.
The center’s focus on quickly returning a service member to duty is one of the key aspects of the program. Prior to the clinic’s opening, service members in Afghanistan had only two options to address mental health issues. One was to spend a few days of rest and relaxation or light duty at their respective base, and then return to duty. The other was to be evaluated, and if further treatment was needed, the service member was sent to Germany or the United States for additional care.
The program takes many of the components of similar programs in Iraq and tailors them to the Afghanistan area of responsibility.
Veterans
Health Care News
- Newsday reports that the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), stung by criticism that its slow action has forced some severely disabled veterans to spend themselves into poverty, has moved to implement a two-year-old law requiring it to reimburse such veterans for the cost of care at state-run nursing homes.
The VA sent letters to the nation's 137 state veterans nursing homes saying they expect to begin processing reimbursements within 90 days.
A bill signed into law by President George W. Bush in 2006 required the VA to reimburse the full cost for veterans with a 70 percent or greater service-connected disability who require nursing home care.
- Health Net Federal Services, LLC, has been awarded a contract by the New Mexico Veterans Affairs Health Care System to continue to provide primary and preventive health care services to veterans enrolled in the VA Community-Based Outpatient Clinic (CBOC) located in Durango, Colo. The base contract with Health Net is effective from March 1, 2009, through Feb. 28, 2010, with two additional option periods of one year each.
The new location at the former Mercy Regional Medical Center facility in Durango is anticipated to open at the end of April 2009. The clinic provides primary and preventive health care, outpatient mental health services, and laboratory services, among other specialized services. In serving the special health care needs of veterans, the clinic offers chronic disease management, as well as promotion programs on a wide range of health issues such as smoking, hypertension, diabetes, obesity and heart disease. Veterans also are screened and treated for conditions such as alcohol and substance abuse, military sexual trauma and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).
The clinic offers women veterans the opportunity to be seen by a female physician in an exam room committed solely to gender-specific health issues. Well-woman services are offered, including annual PAP and pelvic exams, breast exams and referrals for mammograms, family planning services, mental health services, and other gender-specific care.
Health
Care News
- According to the Associated Press, President Barack Obama has selected Jeffrey S. Crowley, a senior researcher from Georgetown University, to direct his Office of National AIDS Policy.
Crowley will lead an office tasked with coordinating government efforts to reduce HIV infection in the U.S. and leading treatment of Americans with HIV/AIDS. He holds a master's degree in public health from Johns Hopkins University and has worked since 2000 as senior research scholar at Georgetown University's health policy institute.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported last summer that it had been underestimating new HIV cases in the U.S. and that a better blood test and new statistical methods showed roughly 56,300 new HIV infections in 2006 — about a 40 percent increase from the 40,000 annual estimate used for the past dozen years.
Obama's 2010 budget proposal released on Feb. 26, 2009, pledged unspecified increased resources to domestic HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment.
- The Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC), a federal government advisory panel, has released its first blueprint for autism research. The IACC Strategic Plan for Autism Spectrum Disorder Research report provides information to federal agencies and Congress on needs and opportunities for research investigating autism, a complex developmental disorder that affects 1 in 150 children.
The IACC, established by the Combating Autism Act of 2006 and composed of both federal and public members, is mandated to develop and annually update a strategic plan for autism research. The IACC developed the plan through an extensive process engaging a wide range of federal agencies and public stakeholders.
The IACC convened four scientific workshops to identify research opportunities as well as expert workgroups to recommend research objectives. The committee also sought extensive public input on ASD research priorities through means such as town hall meetings and Requests for Information. The resulting plan reflects a diversity of views and the breadth of research that will be required to address the needs of people with ASD and their families.
Autism is a complex developmental disorder characterized by repetitive behavior and pervasive impairments in language and the ability to relate to others. It is often grouped with related disorders, such as Asperger's syndrome and pervasive developmental disorder, all of which may be referred to collectively as autism spectrum disorders (ASD). The underlying causes of ASD are unclear, and currently there is no cure for the disorders. Prevalence of ASDs has increased more than ten-fold over the past two decades, according to estimates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in 2007.
Recommendations in the strategic plan include objectives to: develop new diagnostic tools; complete longitudinal and comprehensive studies of the biological, clinical and developmental profiles of children; identify genetic and environmental risk factors; conduct clinical trials of interventions; and assess the efficacy and cost-effectiveness of evidence-based services for people with ASD of all ages in community settings.
Over the next year, the IACC will monitor the implementation of the strategic plan and update the document for its annual release.
The Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee Strategic Plan for Autism Spectrum Disorder Research is available on the IACC Web site at www.iacc.hhs.gov.
- President Obama hosted a health care summit at the White House on March 5, 2009. The half-day session included presentations by average Americans who are in crisis due to inadequate or lack of health care coverage. About 46 million people are uninsured, according to the most recent census figures. Others report paying more than they can afford for insurance coverage.
The 120 summit attendees included congressional leaders, physicians, health care and pharmaceutical executives, as well as representatives from special interests groups. After the opening session, the participants separated into five groups to discuss ideas on how to bring down health care costs and increase coverage.
Currently, medical spending is about $2.3 trillion and consumes about 16 percent of the gross domestic product. Although the United States spends more per capita on health care than any industrialized nation, Americans do not live longer or healthier lives, according to a range of international measures.
Earlier this month, President Obama set aside $634 billion in his proposed budget to be dedicated to health reform. The 10-year reserve fund could be used to provide health insurance to some of the 46 million Americans who do not have it today. To raise that money, Obama would cut itemized tax deductions for the wealthiest Americans and trim federal payments to hospitals, home health aides, drug manufacturers and some physicians.
Already facing opposition to his plan, Obama told the participants that skyrocketing health care costs for families, businesses and government are unsustainable and immediate health care reform is imperative. He also said that success was dependent on compromise and failure to act because a “perfect solution” could not be found was unacceptable.
- On March 4, 2009, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the Food and Drug Administration's approval of the anti-nausea medication Phenergan and its warning label does not protect drugmaker Wyeth Pharmaceuticals from being sued. In a 6-to-3 ruling, the court upheld a $6.7 million verdict in favor of 63-year-old Diana Levine against Wyeth Pharmaceuticals. Levine was given Phenergan twice in 2000 while seeking treatment for migraines. The second injection of the medicine accidentally punctured an artery, resulting in gangrene. Her arm had to be amputated several weeks later.
Reserve/Guard
- As of March 3, 2009, the total number of Guard and Reserve currently on active duty has decreased by 272 to 124,322. The totals for each service are Army National Guard and Army Reserve 94,472; Navy Reserve, 6,390; Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve, 15,487; Marine Corps Reserve, 7,307; and the Coast Guard Reserve, 666. www.defenselink.mil
Reports/Policies
- The Institute of Medicine (IOM) published “Toward Health Equity and Patient-Centeredness: Integrating Health Literacy, Disparities Reduction, and Quality Improvement. Workshop Summary,” on Feb. 27, 2009. In the report, the IOM explored how equity in care delivered and a focus on patients could be improved through concentration on eliminating health disparities and addressing issues of health literacy. http://www.iom.edu/CMS/3793/44963/63116.aspx
- The GAO published “DHS: Organizational Structure and Resources for Providing Health Care to Immigration Detainees,” (GAO-09-308R) on March 2, 2009. The report provides a description of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE’s) organizational structure for providing health care services to detainees, which includes our review of the relevant agreements between DHS and HHS regarding DIHS; information about ICE's annual spending and staffing resources devoted to the provision of health care for detainees, and the number of services provided; and an assessment of whether ICE's mortality rate can be compared with the mortality rates of the Federal Bureau of Prisons and the U.S. Marshals Service--two entities that are responsible for holding certain persons, such as criminals. http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d09308r.pdf
- The GAO published “Dietary Supplements: FDA Should Take Further Actions to Improve Oversight and Consumer Understanding,” (GAO-09-250) on March 2, 2009. The report examine FDA's actions to respond to the new serious adverse event reporting requirements; ability to identify and act on concerns about the safety of dietary supplements; ability to identify and act on concerns about the safety of foods with added dietary ingredients; and actions to ensure that consumers have useful information about the safety and efficacy of supplements. http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d09250.pdf
Legislation
- H.J.RES.30 (introduced March 2, 2009): Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States regarding the right of citizens of the United States to health care of equal high quality was referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
Sponsor: Representative Jesse L. Jackson, Jr. [IL-2]
- H.R.1246 (introduced March 2, 2009): To amend the Public Health Service Act regarding early detection, diagnosis, and treatment of hearing loss was referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
Sponsor: Representative Lois Capps [CA-23]
- H.R.1253 (introduced March 3, 2009): To require that limitations and restrictions on coverage under group health plans be timely disclosed to group health plan sponsors and timely communicated to participants and beneficiaries under such plans in a form that is easily understandable was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committees on Education and Labor, and Ways and Means, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Sponsor: Representative Michael C. Burgess [TX-26]
- H.R.1256 (introduced March 3, 2009): To protect the public health by providing the Food and Drug Administration with certain authority to regulate tobacco products was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Sponsor: Representative Henry A. Waxman [CA-30]
- H.R.1261 (introduced March 3, 2009): To protect the public health by establishing the Tobacco Harm Reduction Center within the Department of Health and Human Services with certain authority to regulate tobacco products, and for other purposes was referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
Sponsor: Representative Steve Buyer [IN-4].
- H.R.1267 (introduced March 3, 2009): To provide for the transfer of certain property and personnel of the Department of Defense to the Department of Veterans Affairs, and for other purposes was referred to the Committee on Armed Services, and in addition to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Sponsor: Representative Melissa L. Bean [IL-8]
- H.R.1293 (introduced March 2, 2009): To amend title 38, United States Code, to provide for an increase in the amount payable by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to veterans for improvements and structural alterations furnished as part of home health services was referred to the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
Sponsor: Representative Steve Buyer [IN-4].
- H.R.1296 (introduced March 4, 2009): To achieve access to comprehensive primary health care services for all Americans and to reform the organization of primary care delivery through an expansion of the Community Health Center and National Health Service Corps programs was referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
Sponsor: Representative James E. Clyburn [SC-6]
- H.R.1302 (introduced March 2, 2009): To amend title 38, United States Code, to establish the position of Director of Physician Assistant Services within the office of the Under Secretary of Veterans Affairs for Health was referred to the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
Sponsor: Representative Phil Hare [IL-17]
- H.R.1308 (introduced March 4, 2009): To direct the Secretary of Defense to adopt a program of professional and confidential screenings to detect mental health injuries acquired during deployment in support of a contingency operation and ultimately to reduce the incidence of suicide among veterans was referred to the Committee on Armed Services, and in addition to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Sponsor: Representative Michael E. McMahon [NY-13]
- S.509 (introduced March 2, 2009): A bill to authorize a major medical facility project at the Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Walla, Walla, Washington, and for other purposes was referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
Sponsor: Senator Patty Murray [WA]
- S.510 (introduced March 3, 2009): A bill to amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act with respect to the safety of the food supply was referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
Sponsor: Senator Richard Durbin [IL].
- S.525 (introduced March 4, 2009): A bill to amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act with respect to the importation of prescription drugs, and for other purposes was referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
Sponsor: Senator Byron L. Dorgan [ND]
- S.AMDT.635 to H.R.1105 (introduced March 3, 2009): To provide funding for the Emergency Fund for Indian Safety and Health, with an offset is being considered by the Senate.
Sponsor: Senator John Thune [SD]
Hill
Hearings
- The House Veterans Affairs Committee will hold a hearing on March 12, 2009, to hear the legislative presentation of veterans’ service organizations.
- The Senate Veterans Affairs Committee will hold a hearing on March 10, 2009, to examine budget for veterans programs for fiscal year 2010.
- The House Veterans Affairs Committee will hold a hearing on March 18, 2009, to hear the legislative presentation of the Veterans of Foreign Wars.
- The House Veterans Affairs Committee will hold a hearing on March 19, 2009, to markup pending legislation.
- The Senate Veterans Affairs Committee will hold a hearing on March 25, 2009, to examine state-of-the-art information technology (IT) solutions for Veterans' Affairs benefits delivery.
Meetings
/ Conferences
- The American Medical Directors Association's (AMDA) 2009 Annual Symposium will be held on March 5-8, 2009, in Charlotte, N.C. http://www.amda.com/education/symposium.cfm
- The 2009 International Conference on Biocontainment Facilities will be held on March 9-10, 2009, in Las Vegas, Nev. http://www.tradelineinc.com/conferences/0AF45970-2B3B-B525-81412BC3C0432164
- The Staphylococcus Symposium 2009 will be held on March 11-14, 2009, in Honolulu, Hawaii. http://www.staph2009.com/
- The 26th Annual BRFSS (Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System) Conference will be held on March 14–18, 2009, in Atlanta, Ga. http://www.brfss2009conference.com/
- The International Forum on Quality and Safety in Health Care will be held on March 17-20, 2009, in Berlin, Germany. www.internationalforum.bmj.com
- The 2nd Annual World Congress Leadership Summit on Evidence Based Medicine will be held on March 25-27, 2009, in Alexandria, Va. http://www.worldcongress.com/events/HL09007/index.cfm?confCode=HL09007
- The 17th Annual Congress on Women's Health will be held on March 27-29, 2009, in Williamsburg, Va. http://www.bioconferences.com/conferences/WomensHealth/index.aspx
- The 43rd National Immunization Conference will be held on March 30 – April 2, 2009, in Dallas, Texas. www.cdc.gov/vaccines/events/nic/#registration
- The 9th Battlefield Healthcare Summit will be held on March 30 to April 2, 2009, in Vienna, Va. http://www.BattlefieldHealthcare.com
- The 20th National Conference on Primary Health Care Access will be held on April 6-8, 2009, in Monterey, Calif. http://coastalresearch.org/meeting-calendar/
- The 6th Annual World Health Care Congress (WHCC) will be held on April 14-16, 2009, in Washington, D.C. http://www.worldcongress.com/whcc/
- A Symposium on the health of President Abraham Lincoln will be held on to be held in April 18-19, 2009, at the National Museum of Health and Medicine of the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology (NMHM) in Washington, D.C.
- The World Vaccine Congress will be held on April 20-23, 2009, in Washington, D.C. http://www.terrapinn.com/2009/wvc_DC
- The 12th Annual Conference on Vaccine Research will be held on April 27-29, 2009, in Baltimore, Md. http://www.nfid.org/conferences/vaccine09/
- The Amygdala, Stress and PTSD Conferences will be held on April 28, 2009, in Bethesda, Md. http://www.amygdalaconference.org/
- The 2009 TRICARE National Anti-Fraud Conference will be held on April 29-May 1, 2009, in Nashville, Tenn. http://www.tricare.mil/downloads/WebInfo_2009_v1.pdf
- The 12th World Congress on Public Health will be held on April 27 to May 1, 2009, in Istanbul, Turkey http://www.worldpublichealth2009.org/
- The American Association for Clinical Chemistry (AACC) and the United Kingdom’s Association for Clinical Biochemistry (ACB) will hold a conference: Latest Advances in Chronic Disease on May 6-7, 2009, in Newport Beach, Calif. http://www.acb.org.uk/site/meetings.asp
- The first HIMSS Middle East conference will be held on May 12-14, 2009, in Manama, Bahrain. http://www.himssme.org/09/
- The Global Health Council's 36th Annual International Conference on Global Health will be held on May 26-30, 2009, in Washington D.C. http://www.globalhealth.org/conference_2009/view_top.php3?id=869
- The Voices 2009: Amplifying the Call for Healthy Communities will be held on May 31 – June 2, 2009, in Arlington, Va. http://www.apiahf.org/downloads/Voices_Save_The_Date.pdf
- The 2009 HBV Symposium will be held June 4-5, 2009, in Atlanta, Ga. http://www.cdc.gov/hepatitis/hbvsymposium2009/index.htm
- The American Association for Clinical Chemistry (AACC) and the Canadian Society of Clinical Chemists (CSCC) joint 2009 Annual Meeting will be held on July 19-23, 2009, in Chicago, Ill. http://www.aacc.org/events/2009am/Pages/default.aspx
- The 7th Annual Health Care Quality Congress (HCQ 2009) will be held on Aug. 3-5, 2009, in Boston Mass. http://www.worldcongress.com/email/HL09025/HL09025-01-27-09-JCC444-online.htm
- The 137th American Public Health Association Annual Meeting & Exposition will be held on Nov. 7-11, 2009, in Philadelphia, Pa. http://www.apha.org/meetings/
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