US To Host Global AIDS Conference In 2012

Travis Martinez - University of New Mexico/Talk Radio News

As the Obama administration prepares to repeal the HIV ban on infected foreigners, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton announced today that the U.S. will host the biannual global AIDS conference in 2012.

The U.S. last hosted the conference in 1990.

“We have to continue to see a global solution to this global problem,” she said. “It is clear that our nation’s investments in HIV/AIDS are having an impact. President Obama and I are dedicated to enhancing America’s leadership in the fight against global AIDS,” said Clinton.

“The American people can be proud of the work that is taking place, and of the dedicated people who are doing it. Yet it is equally true that the global AIDS emergency is not over,” added the Secretary of State.

Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius called the lifting of the HIV ban a consequential shift in U.S. policy.

“It was a policy that tore families apart, kept people from getting tested, forced others to hide their HIV status and forgo live saving medication,” she said.

According to a press release, the White House Office of National AIDS Policy (ONAP), is working to develop and implement a National HIV/AIDS strategy which would involve goals to reduce HIV incidence, increase access to care and optimize health care outcomes.

International Researchers Discuss Climate Change Risks To Humans

By Julianne LaJeunesse - University of New Mexico/Talk Radio News Service

In a cross-Atlantic satellite panel discussion Wednesday, the National Institute of Health and top British researchers and health experts discussed a Lancet publication released today that highlights the impacts of climate change on human lives - an effort which the collaborators hope will further domestic and international policy on greenhouse gas and carbon emissions.

President Barack Obama’s Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius told participants via a video recording that greenhouse gases affect more than just the environment, and that even if climate change wasn’t documented and known, the NIH would still be very concerned with greenhouse gases and carbon emissions.

“We know that depending on coal-powered plants that spew greenhouse gases is bad for our planet, but it’s also bad for our health,” Sebelius said. “We know that the growing share of meat in our diet is bad for our planet...[and] we know that depending on gas-guzzling cars is bad for our planet, but it’s also bad for our health since it can lead us to get less exercise.”

Sebelius carefully noted that coal plants, meat consumption, and vehicle use are “bad for our planet” when overused, but conserving resources, according to some study participants, will require policy changes.

James Woodcock, who represented the transportation section of The Lancet publication, said that in order to reduce vehicle use, walking and cycling must become more pleasant.

“If you’re talking about large increases in walking, cycling, and large reductions in car use, then you need to talk about policies that prioritize pedestrians and cyclists over those of motorists,” he said.

Those policies will need to be implemented on a country by country basis, and public support for domestic policy was encouraged by U.K. Secretary of State for Health Andy Burnham, who said “when the world comes together in Copenhagen, in just a couple of weeks time, it will be essential that we strike a deal that is equal to the challenge that we face.”

Health Reform Still Urgent Despite No Bill Before Recess Say Senate Dems

By Laura Woodhead - Talk Radio News Service

Although the Senate may not vote on health care until after the August recess, passing reform is still an urgent priority said top Democrats on Thursday. Speaking at a press conference, Sen. Chris Dodd (D-Conn.) said while it's unlikely that a bill would be up for debate on the Senate floor before September, the Senate has no excuse to take its time on finding solutions for our nation's health care problems.

"That does not excuse our committees from doing everything we can during these weeks before the August break, and during the August break to try and meld our ideas and bills together in order so that when we return in September we will be prepared." Dodd said. "We do not have the luxury of not dealing with this."

Dodd said that the President's leadership on health care reform has been strong.

[President Obama] is committed, as committed as any president I have ever seen to a single issue. He has said over and over again that he will expand whatever capital in order to achieve the goal of national health care reform in the nation" Dodd said.

Sen. Thomas Carper (D-Del.) explained that the health care bill is moving slowly through committee because of the multitude of problems being addressed.

"This is probably the hardest legislative lift that any of us will make whether we are here for four years or forty," said Carper. "If it takes a couple of extra days, a couple of extra weeks or even a couple of extra months its worth the wait."

Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius joined the Senators, and stressed that health care reform must help not only Americans who are uninsured, but also those who do already have insurance.

"The current cost curve cannot be sustained by business owners or by families," Sebelius said. "Those who have health insurance are a day, a week, a month away from losing it."

Dodd said that there would be a bill on the President's desk by the end of the year.

"We have a mandate from the American people to address this issue," he said. "I still believe very strongly that we are going to achieve that goal."

"I'm willing to wait, spend the time, do it right, but we need to get it done."