*This is an archive page. The links are no longer being updated. 1994.12.31 : (Fact Sheet) 1994 Accomplishments Date: December 31, 1994 Contact: HHS Press Office, (202) 690-6343 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 1994--A YEAR OF RESULTS During 1994, HHS focused on results. Now, more than ever, the American people want to know what they are getting for their tax dollars. And nowhere is the need for accountability more critical than in the work we do--providing health and human services to the American people. To get the best return on our investments in America, we are guided by three central principles: prevention, independence, and customer service. Prevention saves lives and dollars. The Childhood Immunization Initiative implemented this year provides the most fundamental health protection to America's children. Continuing investments in Head Start, Family Preservation and Support, and violence-prevention programs under the Crime Bill give families new support in providing opportunity to their children and preventing domestic violence. Preventive care was central to the President's health care reform proposal, and this principle will remain central to improvements in our health care system. We want people to rely less on government and more on their own personal resources. The President's welfare reform package emphasizes work and responsibility. State innovation flourishes with an unprecedented number of welfare and health care reform demonstrations. Clinical guidelines on mammography, support for drug trials on RU-486, and long-awaited new food labels enable Americans to take personal control over their health. Improving customer service is about making government work better and cost less while tolerating no fraud and abuse. Building on the Vice President's National Performance Review, we have reduced paperwork while introducing electronic efficiencies in procurement. We have also cracked down on fraud, waste, and abuse with over $8 billion in taxpayer savings this year through fines and penalties. We have published customer service standards and consumer information strategies for the major beneficiary programs, and have charted a course for reforming the Social Security disability claims processing system. As we continue to invest in the health and welfare of Americans, our goals remain the same: to help individuals sustain good health and pursue economic opportunity. Donna E. Shalala ------------------------------------------------------------------------- HHS ACCOMPLISHMENTS in 1994 IMMUNIZATION -- We now have the highest immunization rates in history. Under the Childhood Immunization Initiative, we have worked with states, private doctors, and business leaders to increase childhood immunization rates from 57 to 72 percent. We have enrolled over 19,000 private provider sites and 6,000 public sites in the Vaccines for Children that provides free vaccine to children in need. CUSTOMER SERVICE -- We're putting our customers first. In 1993, Secretary Shalala brought together HHS employees to begin creating a more customer-oriented, outcome-focused agency. For the first time, HHS now has a strategic planning process through which more authority is delegated from the Secretary's office to the agencies. We are eliminating unnecessary paperwork and needless controls and issuing customer service standards for our clients--the American people. COMBATTING FRAUD AND ABUSE -- As we serve our customers better, we are cracking down harder on abusers. In 1994, we have achieved 1,200 successful prosecutions and more than 1,300 administrative sanctions-- resulting in over $8 billion in fines and penalties. That's $8 billion in taxpayer money saved. HEAD START -- We made a new start with Head Start. As we enter the 30th year of this program, we have expanded services to cover families with children ages 0-3. In early 1994, the Secretary received recommendations from an advisory committee to keep Head Start responsive to the changing needs of America's families. Within a month of the committee's report, reauthorization legislation moved through Congress and was signed by President Clinton. The reinvigorated program served 740,000 children in 1994, up from 621,000 in 1992. WELFARE REFORM -- We introduced a tough and smart welfare reform plan. On June 14, 1994, the President introduced The Work and Responsibility Act of 1994 to "end welfare as we know it." The plan provides time- limited income support, job training, and child care while requiring that anyone who can work, must work--in the private sector if possible, in a temporary subsidized job if necessary. Complementing the welfare reform effort, states are now required to have in-hospital paternity establishment programs to help ensure child support payments. Child support collections increased 12 percent in 1993 to a record $8.9 billion. STATE FLEXIBILITY -- States are leading the way. HHS has approved 7 health reform and 23 welfare reform demonstrations, signaling support for innovation in the laboratories of state government. Under the health reform projects, over 600,000 individuals who would not otherwise have been eligible for Medicaid are receiving health insurance benefits. Ongoing welfare demonstrations, 16 of them approved in 1994, support a striking variety of initiatives tailored to the needs of local communities. HEALTH CARE REFORM -- We took it to the floor--now let's take it to the finish line. For the first time in our nation's history, comprehensive health care reform legislation reached the floors of both houses of Congress. While final consensus was not achieved, nearly 18 months of debate increased the country's understanding of this complex issue. The debate was impetus for self-reform within the industry, leading to an unprecedented growth in managed care. The Medicaid program turned to managed care in 1994 with a 63 percent increase in beneficiaries enrolled in such plans. The principles of the Administration's reform effort--preventive medicine, an end to cost-shifting, shared responsibility--are evident in the health marketplace today and will remain at the core of all future efforts to control costs and extend coverage to uninsured Americans. WOMEN'S HEALTH -- We're making up for lost time in women's health. HHS continues its commitment to a comprehensive health strategy with equitable resources for women's unique needs. And, we have new evidence of progress in the fight against breast cancer. From 1989 to 1992, breast cancer mortality rates declined by 5 percent among all women. We are building on this progress. Unprecedented federal standards are now in place for facilities that provide mammograms, and the Department issued the first clinical guidelines on mammography to better educate health care providers and consumers. HHS facilitated a patent transfer and the beginning of private sector drug trials for RU-486, and all Public Health Service agencies with a focus on research now have policies to ensure women are included in HHS-sponsored clinical research trials. SOCIAL SECURITY -- Social Security has now earned its wings. The Administration accorded older Americans an historic level of recognition this year when President Clinton signed into law the independence of the Social Security Administration (SSA). Independence will provide a special opportunity to build public confidence at a critical time in the program's history. The agency has enacted aggressive measures to limit support to substance abusers and to re-evaluate assistance to children with mild emotional disabilities. Commissioner Shirley Chater also announced plans to overhaul the disability claims process, proposing sweeping reforms to make the system more user-friendly and efficient while making the right decision the first time. AIDS -- We're stepping up the fight against AIDS: HHS continues to aggressively confront the HIV/AIDS epidemic. At a time of zero budget growth, AIDS funding was increased across the board, representing a 30 percent rise since 1993. The reorganized Office of AIDS Research developed a comprehensive plan to develop treatments, vaccines, and ultimately, a cure for HIV disease. An NIH-funded clinical trial showed that the use of AZT (zidovudine) during pregnancy can sharply reduce the rate of HIV transmission to infants. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released public service announcements on the importance of delaying sex and the correct and consistent use of latex condoms. Radio and television stations nationwide donated over $19 million in air time to run the messages. BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH -- Basic research is the foundation of good health. This was an important year for research conducted and supported by the National Institutes of Health, especially in the area of genetics. Scientists discovered the genes responsible for many cases of hereditary colon cancer, inherited breast cancer, and the most common type of kidney cancer. Using a mouse model, researchers also isolated the gene for obesity and have pinpointed a nearly identical gene in humans. One of the goals of the Human Genome Project--to make a detailed map of genetic markers on chromosomes--was realized a year ahead of schedule. NIH clinical trials found surgery can prevent strokes in certain individuals with no outward sign of disease, and that combinations of two sex hormones produce significant increases in levels of "good" cholesterol in post-menopausal women. NUTRITION LABELLING -- We're helping Americans improve their diet with new food labels. In May, food companies began using the new food label which displays a "Nutrition Facts" panel with essential information in an easy-to-read format. The "% Daily Value" column alerts health- conscious consumers to the levels of key ingredients, such as saturated fat, cholesterol, and sodium. A December FDA study shows manufacturers have been very accurate in their food label claims, with 94 percent accuracy for fat content and 93 percent accuracy for calories. A second phase of the program targets preschool children to help them grow into educated consumers. FAMILY SUPPORT -- Investments in the family are smart money. Real progress was made during 1994 in promoting the personal safety and professional opportunity for America's families. The Family Preservation and Support program was implemented, and the policies of four child care programs were simplified to make benefits more accessible for those in need. Seven national resource centers were established to provide for abused, neglected, and abandoned children and their families. A demonstration program providing home support visits to teenage parents will be tested in five states. VIOLENCE -- We're getting at the root causes of violence: Violence is not only a criminal justice problem but a major public health problem, too. With enactment of the Crime Bill, HHS will enhance its activities to prevent violence through the positive development of youth and families. With a total of $1.4 billion over the next six years, HHS will support after-school activities, coordinate protective services for women and children, and increase economic development and employment opportunities within disadvantaged communities. These crime bill expansions, combined with ongoing domestic violence, substance abuse, and gang prevention programs, demonstrate a multi-faceted approach to a problem with no single cure. ###