Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month
A Proclamation by the President of the United States of America

During Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month, we honor the many contributions citizens of Asian and Pacific Island ancestry have made to our great land.

The millions of Americans who trace their origins to nations in the Asian/Pacific region have enriched America. The entrepreneurship and innovation of Asian/Pacific Americans have strengthened our economy. Asian/Pacific Americans enrich our Nation with their strong values of love of family and community. Many Asian/Pacific Americans are serving the cause of freedom and peace around the world, and our Nation is grateful for their service. These good men and women defend our safety and contribute to the character and greatness of America.

To honor the achievements and contributions of Asian/Pacific Americans, the Congress, by Public Law 102 450, as amended, has designated the month of May each year as "Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month."

NOW, THEREFORE, I, GEORGE W. BUSH, President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim May 2007 as Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month. I call upon the people of the United States to learn more about the history of Asian/Pacific Americans and their many contributions to our Nation and to observe this month with appropriate programs and activities.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this twenty-sixth day of April, in the year of our Lord two thousand seven, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-first.

GEORGE W. BUSH

Assistant Secretary for Aging Announces AoA Strategic Action Plan 2007 - 2012

I am pleased to announce the release of AoA’s Strategic Action Plan for 2007-2012. This Plan continues AoA’s focus to bolster the role of the Aging Services Network in long-term care, and gives particular attention to implementing the new provisions in the Older Americans Act that reflect the key principles of Choices for Independence. As a result of the 2006 Amendments, the Act now authorizes all levels of the Network to actively promote the development of consumer-centered systems of long-term care, and specifically encourages the Network to implement Aging and Disability Resource Centers, evidence-based prevention programs, and flexible service models, including consumer-directed options, to help individuals avoid unnecessary nursing home placement and spend down to Medicaid. As outlined in this plan, these and other new provisions in the Act hold great potential for modernizing aging services in the 21st Century and enhancing the quality of life of our older citizens. A full copy of the Plan can be accessed on our Strategic Plan webpage

Josefina G. Carbonell

“A Healthier US Starts Here” Tour to Promote Prevention; Healthier Living

The mission is clear; our challenge is great. The US Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) and partners must inform the 43 million people with Medicare about the preventive benefits available to them. You are a critical part of this effort to improve the quality of life for America's seniors and people with disabilities.

This spring and summer, as part of the "A Healthier US Starts Here" initiative, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) the Administration on Aging (AoA), and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are joining local officials and you, our partners, to raise awareness of the importance of preventing chronic disease and illness, promote Medicare preventive benefits and provide information about how beneficiaries can take action to maintain and improve their health.

As part of this effort, CMS, AoA, CDC and leaders from national disease management and health care advocacy organizations launched “A Healthier US Starts Here,” tour on April 20 to motivate seniors and others with Medicare to make the most of Medicare’s preventive services.

Over the next four months, the tour will visit each of the 48 continental states to promote preventive services with Medicare beneficiaries, families, caregivers, health professionals, community organizations, civic and state leaders and others who want to help people live longer, healthier lives.

“A Healthier US Starts Here” tour will also teach people how to make the most of a special prevention-targeted CMS website, MyMedicare.gov -- a one-stop, user-friendly website that gives registered Medicare users access to personalized information on benefits and services.

So we can work together to ensure that "A Healthier US Starts Here!”. We provide you with a toolkit (see Downloads section) that includes publications, training materials and a video loop so that we can work together to ensure that "A Healthier US Starts Here!"

For more information please visit the Mobile Office Tour Calendar, the A Healthier US Starts Here brochure in both English and Spanish, the MyMedicare.gov brochure and a drop-in article to use in your newsletters or your websites.

Assistant Secretary Carbonell Shares U.S. Home and Community-Based Care Best Practices at Symposium in Nagoya, Japan

Assistant Secretary for Aging, Josefina G. Carbonell, was invited to Japan to discuss how the United States is modernizing its long-term care system. Sharing U.S. best practices in long-term care and care for aged populations is part of the Secretary Leavitt’s Global Health Diplomacy initiative.

On April 5, the Assistant Secretary forAging delivered keynote remarks at a symposium entitled “Baby Boomers Ageing in the World: Challenges and Policies Symposium.” This symposium marked the 20th anniversary of the host organization, Sun-Life Social and Welfare Organization, a Japanese non-profit organization which is a trailblazer in providing long term care services to the elderly.

Japan is facing the challenge of a rapidly aging population and is interested in learning from the best practices of other countries, especially in the area of home and community-based services. Today, over 20 percent of the Japanese population is sixty five and over. Life expectancy at birth now approaches 82 years - the highest level among the world’s more developed countries. By 2030, nearly twenty four percent of all older Japanese are expected to be at least 85 years old.

Assistant Secretary Carbonell addressed over 400 Japanese policy makers, researchers and service providers. She discussed key strategies used in the U.S. to modernize long-term care to reduce costs and increase access to home and community based services rather than institutional care. These strategies include improving consumers’ access to information about available services, empowering families to give them more control over the public services they receive, and encouraging the elderly to make behavioral changes to reduce the risk of disease and disability. She also highlighted President Bush’s signing of the Older Americans Act Amendments of 2006 and the strengthening of federal and state partnerships.

While in Japan, the Assistant Secretary also met with the Director General of the Health and Welfare Bureau for the Elderly, Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare to discuss the implementation of the mandatory Japanese Long-Term Care Insurance system and to discuss her experiences dealing with disasters and mass evacuations. She also had the opportunity to visit Sun-Life long-term care and adult day care facilities, where she viewed some of the advanced and creative technologies used to assist in caregiving.

Click here for the Assistant Secretary for Aging remarks
Click below for other symposium documents

• Conference Agenda
• International Symposium: "Baby Boomers Aging in the World: Challenges and Policies"
• Remarks by Edwin L. Walker, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Programs and Policies
• Remarks by Clayton Fong, CEO, National Pacific Asian Center on Aging
• Remarks by Mike Rungie, CEO, ACH Group, Australia
• Remarks by Andrew Stuart, Department of Health and Ageing, Australia
• Remarks by Jun-ichi Gouda Japanese Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport
• Remarks by Vivien Lai, Alberta, Canada Health and Welfare
• Remarks by Tom Mill, Alberta, Canada Health and Welfare

Click here for photos from the conference

National Volunteer Week, 2007
A Proclamation by the President of the United States of America

During National Volunteer Week, we celebrate the spirit of service in America and honor those who demonstrate the great character of our country through acts of kindness, generosity, and compassion.

Throughout the history of America, volunteers and civic organizations have helped extend the blessings of liberty and opportunity to our citizens. People across our Nation answer the universal call to love their neighbor by giving their time, talents, and energy to comfort those in despair, support others in need, and change lives for the better. The optimism and determination of our country's volunteers reflect the true spirit and strength of our Nation.

Click here for full text of the Proclamation

Click here for more information about National Volunteer Week

Assistant Secretary Carbonell Joins HHS Secretary Leavitt in El Salvador Visit to Improve Health Infrastructure

On March 29, Assistant Secretary for Aging Josefina G. Carbonell joined HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt in a visit to El Salvador as part of the President's initiative for advancing the cause of social justice in the Western Hemisphere. Following closely on the President's recent trip to Latin America, the Secretary visited five Central American countries and discussed the Administration's initiative for health diplomacy in the Americas with top officials in Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, El Salvador, and Guatemala. Click here for the HHS Press Release.