Health+and+Human+Services


Department of Health and Human Services   Mission Statement " The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is the United States government's principal agency for protecting the health of all Americans and providing essential human services, especially for those who are least able to help themselves."


 * Secretary of The United States Department of Health and Human Services is Kathleen Sebelius.  (hhs,gov)
 * The duties of the secretary revolve around human conditions and concerns in the United States. This includes advising the Presidents on matters of health, welfare, and income security programs. It strives to administer the department of Health and Human Services to carry out approved programs and make the public aware of the objectives of the department.


 * The Department of Health and Human Services uses it's budget to help the well being of the Americans by providing the right help and medicine they need to stay healthy. The total budget spending for the year 2009 is up to $737 billion. The composition of this budget is medicare, medicaid, discretionary programs, children entitlement programs, TANF, and othe mandatory programs. The department will spend any of the money they need for any kind of health issues, one current issue would be the Swine Flu. If anything is to happen with more outbreaks with the Swine Flu the Department of Health and Human Services has a plan to set aside any money they need to purchase and provide any medicine to keep the Ameican people healthy.

> > > The Swine Flu Composed by Jordan S.
 * The Department of Health and Human Services was not always called this, it started out as the Department of Education and Welfare in 1923. It became known as the Department of Health and Human Services in 1979 when the education functions were transfered into the Department of Education. Also for any public health issuses the Surgeon General is the one appointed to make sure that the general public is aware of any hazardous issues.


 * The Swine Flu is one of the most important disease that the Department of Health and Human Services is dealing with right now. It is rapidly growing and several cases are coming about in many different countries. The Swine Flu is thought be a combination of three flu's the avian, human, and swine. This could be one of the main reasons why it is spreading so quickly and so many people are becoming infected with this flu.


 * According to an article on CNN's website there are currently 91 cases reported in the United States including one death, a 22 month old child that is a Mexican citizen who came to Texas to receive treatment. President Obama on Tuesday requested $1.5 billion of emergency funding for medicine if outbreaks continue, so that the American people can stay the healthiest that they can stay and not become infected with the Swine Flu ([|http://www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/04/30/swine.flu.cases/index.html)]


 * The World Health Organization is referring to the swine flu as a public health emergency of international concern which could lead to pandemic status. Resulting in a travel ban to the infected countries. This would just be a precaution to the other countries so that it could possibly help slow down or even stop the spread of the Swine Flu. ([|http://www.who.int/csr/don/2009_04_26/en/)]

 **Recommendation to President Obama about the Swine Flu  I believe that if the Swine Flu is continuting to surface in the United States and around the world, President Obama should consider closing the borders to many countries until this flu is finished. He should also continue with providing enough money so that the American people can get the medicine they need to stay healthy. **
 * Some symptoms include a high fever, chills, cough, headache, sore throat, stuffy nose, body aches, and fatigue. Many medical doctors are claiming that if anyone is experiencing any of these symptoms to go to the doctor to get help and to also stay home from work or school so that the flu is not continuing to spread. (abclocal.go.com)

Obesity composed by Nina W. ** Recommendation to President Obama about Obesity ** I believe that Obesity is increasing at an alarming rate in the United States. Each year Americans are spending billions of dollars on dieting and treating diseases associated with it. I think more should be done in order to help people lead healthier lifestyles and decrease the amount of obese people in the United States. Help should be made easier and more affordable to people so that they can get the help that is needed.
 * The obese population is at increased risk for many long term effects. Some of these effects include Coronary heart disease, Type 2 diabetes, Cancers, Hypertension, Dyslipidemia, Stroke, Liver and Gallbladder disease, Sleep apnea and respiratory problems, and Osteoarthritis. Two major objectives within the community are to reduce the prevalence of overweight and obesity among adults to less than 15% and to reduce the prevalence of obesity among children and adolescents to less than 5%. With doing this a healthier population will exist. ([])
 * Food provides us with essential nutrients that our body requires. If there is an over abundance of food intake then it turns into fat and is stored in our bodies. This is what causes people to gain weight and why obesity has become a major concern. Obesity is the accumulation of excess fat on the body and is considered a chronic disease. Obesity is defined as having a BMI of greater than 30. It also has many serious long-term consequences for your health, and is the second leading cause of preventable deaths in the United States. ([])
 * Although obesity occurs when there is too great of a food intake, there are also other factors. Obesity is normally genetic, meaning it is shown to run throughout generations of family. This coud be caused from genetics or because families share diet and lifestyle habits which could also account for such an occurance. Environmental factors also are shown to have a cause. Many people now can drive wherever they need to go instead of taking a walk, so people no longer burn as many calories as they once did. Americans also have the opportunity to eat out but this usually means taking in more calories. This calorie intake is not backed up by exercise so they population slowly becomes more and more obese. ([])

Questions: 1. How much money does the Department of Health and Human Services plan on spending in the 2009 year? 2. What are some symptoms of the latest health concern, the Swine Flu?