[Federal Register: October 22, 2003 (Volume 68, Number 204)]
[Notices]
[Page 60393-60394]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr22oc03-102]
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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Partners Invited To Participate in Steps to a HealthierUS
AGENCY: Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the
Secretary.
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) seeks to
work with other public and private sector organizations to support a
new Federal initiative to promote better health for all Americans. This
initiative is called Steps to a HealthierUS and is part of the
President's HealthierUS Initiative to help Americans live longer,
better, and healthier lives. This Steps Partnership initiative is not a
grant or contract award program and each partner will be responsible
for supporting its own activities. Working together, it is intended
that these partnerships will provide innovative opportunities to
promote healthier living and successfully promote the principles and
efforts of the Steps initiative. More information about Steps is
available at: http://www.healthierus.gov/steps/. Partnerships are not
limited to any existing list of priority projects.
DATES: Comments expressing or affirming an interest in the Steps to a
HealthierUS Partnerships initiative will be most useful if received
within three months of the publication of this notice. Contact
identification information to permit further discussion and
consideration of ideas of mutual interest may be sent to either the
street address or the email address set out in the next paragraph.
ADDRESSES: Expressions of interest, comments and questions may be sent to the following email address, StepsPartnerships@osophs.dhhs.gov, or
by regular mail with contact information, as appropriate, to: Steps to
a HealthierUS Partnerships, c/o Office of Public Health & Science, U.S.
Department of Health and Human Services, 200 Independence Avenue SW,
Room 738G, Washington DC 20201.
Organization representatives may also call the following
information line: 1(800) 631-0926. Callers will be directed to
appropriate agency officials or to other collaborating partners with
similar or complementary interests for further discussions.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: HHS is the United States government's
principal agency for promoting and protecting the health of all
Americans. HHS manages many programs, covering a broad spectrum of
health promotion and disease prevention services and activities.
Leaders in the business community, State and local government
officials, tribes and tribal entities and charitable, faith-based, and
community organizations have expressed an interest in partnering with
the Department to promote healthy choices and behaviors. The Secretary
welcomes this interest. With this notice, the Secretary outlines
opportunities for these and other entities to partner with HHS, in
order to address health promotion and chronic disease prevention and
control activities. The Steps program will be carried out consistent
with HHS's broad statutory authorities found in 42 U.S.C. 238, 241,
280e-11, 280h-280h-3, and 300u-300u-3 and, in some cases, pursuant to
more particular, pertinent Public Health Service Act provisions or
other HHS program statutes.
In recent years, the public has become more aware of the burden of
illness and death caused by chronic diseases such as asthma, cancer,
diabetes, heart disease, obesity, and stroke--and of the connection
between these chronic diseases and lifestyle choices involving tobacco
use, improper diet, and lack of exercise. Despite this new
understanding and awareness, more than 1.7 million Americans die of a
chronic disease each year, accounting for about 70% of all U.S. deaths.
In addition, more than 175 million Americans live with chronic
conditions, with millions of new cases diagnosed each year. These
serious diseases are often treatable, but not generally curable. Thus,
the Secretary believes it is important and timely for the Nation to
increase prevention efforts to fight chronic disease.
The Steps to a HealthierUS initiative focuses on both health
promotion and chronic disease prevention and control through the
following activities:
1. Community-based education programs highlighting steps that can
be taken to prevent or reduce the incidence of chronic diseases;
2. Health promoting programs and environments in school, worksite,
faith-based and community-based settings;
3. Improved access to preventive, diagnostic and treatment
services;
4. The elimination of racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic-based
health disparities;
5. Improved delivery of evidence-based clinical preventive services
and chronic disease management; and
6. Evaluation of chronic disease prevention and health promotion
interventions.
Introduction
Federal health promotion and chronic disease prevention goals
cannot be achieved without
(a) Change in individual behavioral practices and change in
organizational cultures and actions, both based on increased knowledge
and understanding;
(b) Optimal utilization of preventive or treatment services; along
with
(c) Improvement in prevention, diagnostic, and treatment
technologies and systems.
HHS has limited resources with which to achieve implementation of
large-scale nationwide changes. Moreover, to achieve such societal
changes, the involvement of both public and private organizations is
necessary. For efforts of this magnitude, the Department periodically
invites outside organizations to join in carrying out activities of
mutual interest to achieve shared objectives. These partnerships are
voluntary. The parties work together to carry out their respective,
consistent missions for the common good.
Collaboration With Public and Private Sector Organizations
In order to implement the Steps nationwide initiative, HHS is
interested in establishing partnerships with private corporations and
other entities, including charitable, faith-based, and community
organizations, as well as with State and local governments, that can
help extend the program's reach to all Americans. In accordance with
each entity's particular strengths and
[[Page 60394]]
abilities, partnerships will be established; each partner will be
responsible for providing the resources necessary to carry out
specified activities of mutual interest.
As partners with HHS, both public and private sector organizations
can bring their respective ideas and expertise, administrative
capabilities, and production and material resources, that are
consistent with the goals of the Steps initiative, to, for example:
(a) Share in the development of educational health information and
its distribution to employees or to the public, e.g., promoting healthy
lifestyles to prevent chronic diseases, programs aimed at improving
consumers' understanding of how proper dietary choices and physical
activity can improve health and prevent obesity and other chronic
diseases or providing practical guidance and information on how to
obtain diagnostic and treatment services. Public education efforts
could include Web-site and software development, work with local or
national media, and sponsorship of health promotion events, each
activity generally enhancing consumer understanding of health
information related to health promoting behaviors and chronic disease
prevention and control;
(b) Foster the creation and maintenance of effective health and
wellness and physical activity programs that provide clear measurable
results;
(c) Participate in the development of health professional
educational activities, including conference co-sponsorship or co-
publication and dissemination of professional educational materials,
such as reports of proceedings and any resulting recommendations; and
(d) Conduct or support chronic disease prevention research, or
undertake scientific testing and evaluation of commercial products
related to the Steps initiative, such as interactive computer software
and media tools.
Partnership agreements will make clear that there will be no
Federal endorsement of commercial products or of particular companies.
HHS will have a right to review the use of Department logos and
statements related to Steps on such materials and products to ensure
that they are suitable for the initiative and that government
neutrality with respect to commercial products is maintained. When the
Steps logo is approved for use on commercial materials or products that
promote healthier lifestyles or foster other Steps objectives and are
incorporated in Steps initiative activities, a disclaimer will be
required to be printed on, or affixed to commercial partner materials
and products indicating that the use of the logo does not imply any
Federal endorsement or warranty of a particular commercial product or
of other products of a particular company.
Evaluation Criteria
After engaging in exploratory discussions of potential partnerships
and partnership activities with respondents, the following
considerations will be used by HHS officials, as appropriate and
relevant, to determine whether HHS will engage in partnership
activities with particular entities and the scope of those activities.
1. Are the activities proposed by the offering entity likely to
provide a substantial public health benefit, consistent with HHS goals
and the Steps to a HealthierUS Initiative?
2. Does the proposed partnership's potential for public health
benefit outweigh any potential negative impact on the agency and its
ability to accomplish its missions? What adjustments if any, would make
the proposal acceptable?
3. Is there an identifiable and appropriate role for HHS?
4. Does the outside entity have the expertise and capacity to carry
out its proposed activities?
5. Has the outside entity demonstrated a willingness to work
collaboratively with other public and private sector organizations to
achieve the stated Steps to a HealthierUS goals or to advance related
efforts, activities, or initiatives?
Given the Steps Initiative's objectives, entities who have similar
goals and consistent interests, appropriate expertise and resources,
and would like to pursue chronic disease prevention and health
promotion activities within their own organizations, or on a broader
scale, in collaboration with the Department, are encouraged to reply to
this notice. Working together, it is intended that these partnerships
will provide innovative opportunities to promote healthier living.
Dated: October 16, 2003.
Cristina V. Beato,
Acting Assistant Secretary for Health.
[FR Doc. 03-26628 Filed 10-21-03; 8:45 am]
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