Click HERE for Phil’s November e-Newsletter, and read all about the latest news around the 11th District, including flu vaccination locations, Medicare Part D enrollment for 2007, border security, and the fight to stop drug trafficking.

Today is National Methamphetamine Awareness Day.  As President Bush explains, this is a day when:

“[W]e underscore the dangers of methamphetamine and reaffirm our collective responsibility to combat all forms of drug abuse.

The dangers of Methamphetamine are clear:

Methamphetamine is a powerfully addictive drug that dramatically affects users’ minds and bodies. Chronic use can lead to violent behavior, paranoia, and an inability to cope with the ordinary demands of life. Methamphetamine abusers can transform homes into places of danger and despair by neglecting or endangering the lives of their children, spouses, and other loved ones. Additionally, methamphetamine production exposes anyone near the process to toxic chemicals and the risk of explosion.

To find out how to raise awareness and to learn more about the battle against methamphetamine abuse, you can visit the website www.methresources.gov.

This week is National Flu Vaccination Week, so I want to share these resources with you: 

Click HERE to learn more about flu prevention from the Center for Disease Control, and HERE to download educational materials to share with friends and family.

If you or a loved one needs to locate a flu vaccination clinic, click HERE to find a location in your community.

The Marietta Daily Journal reports this morning on efforts to reduce drug trafficking in the Atlanta area:

White House Director of National Drug Control Policy John Walters on Monday named Cobb as one of two metro-Atlanta counties that will benefit from a federal crackdown on illegal drug trafficking.

Walters and Congressman Phil Gingrey (R-Marietta) made the announcement at Cobb Police headquarters Monday morning as they presented a check for $1.1 million to Jack Killorin, director of the Atlanta-area High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area program.

Walters explained the critical nature of Atlanta’s drug problem:

“That Atlanta area has become a hub,” Walters said. “It has become a way in which traffic coming across the southwest border comes up and is distributed in the eastern part of the United States. It’s not coming from Miami. It’s coming from Atlanta.”

Phil noted that while the inclusion of Cobb County in this anti-trafficking program was a tremendous step forward, there is still more to be done in the future:

“We felt it very necessary that we expanded the (Atlanta-area program),” Gingrey said. “We want to eventually get into northwest Georgia where there are a lot of clandestine laboratories for the production of methamphetamines, which is ruining a lot of people’s lives.”

For more information on the $1.1 Million grant, click HERE.

The Wall Street Journal today reports:

Medicare beneficiaries poring over their drug-benefit options for next year will generally see more plans with low premiums and also a greater number of more-expensive plans with coverage of the gap known as the “doughnut hole.”

Click HERE for the rest of the article (subscription required).

Great news for Georgia workers: today’s Christian Science Monitor reports:

American paychecks are rising again at a pace not seen since the 1990s.

The pay increase amounts to 4 percent on average over the past 12 months, and it comes at a very helpful time for millions of households. […]

Equally significant, tamer energy prices mean that the “real” wage gains, after inflation, are above 3 percent for the past 12 months. That, too, hasn’t happened since the 1990s, even though the economy has been expanding over the past five years.

Click HERE to read the rest of the article.

If you or a senior in your life is thinking about enrolling in a new Medicare Part D prescription drug plan this year, I encourage you to check out the new features available at www.Medicare.gov.  Click HERE to compare plans by cost, medications covered and benefits.  You can also see what your monthly costs would be under a specific plan.  Click HERE to learn more about the Medicare Part D plans available in Georgia.

Medicare Part D is helping seniors save money (an average of $1,100 a year) and live healthier lives. If you have any questions about this benefit, please contact my office. My staff is trained to assist you.

I proudly hosted John Walters in our district today. Mr. Walters is the Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), also known as our nation’s “Drug Czar”. I have been very impressed with the focus Mr. Walters has given to one of the most detrimental drug afflicting Georgia’s communities: Methamphetamine abuse.

Click HERE to read more about today’s grant announcement that will help law enforcement officials in Cobb County combat illegal drug trafficking.  I also encourage you to click HERE to read more about Methamphetamine abuse and how we can combat it in our communities.  Meth is a very dangerous drug, as ONDCP explains:

Methamphetamine is highly addictive…. Use of methamphetamine can cause damage to the brain that is detectable months after the use of the drug. The damage to the brain caused by methamphetamine use is similar to damage caused by Alzheimer’s disease, stroke, and epilepsy.

Methamphetamine abuse is a growing problem across the nation, and it is endangering the lives of both abusers and innocent bystanders in our communities.  I am incredibly pleased our law enforcement officials are getting the tools they need to stop this crisis and protect our families.

On the House floor today, Phil remembered Dr. Robert Lipson, CEO of Wellstar Healthcare System in Georgia. Dr. Lipson was killed in an automobile accident earlier this week.

Below are exerts of Phil’s speech:

Dr. Robert Lipson, the Chief Executive Officer and President of Wellstar Health System, was a man of honor and genuine character.

When Dr. Lipson saw the great need for primary care physicians in his community, he decided to leave his lucrative private practice and put together the Wellstar team.  There he helped build the Wellstar Physicians Group, which currently is comprised of 250 physicians who are responsible for nearly a million annual patient visits in Northwest Georgia.

Dr. Lipson will also be remembered as a prolific philanthropist.  He was known for his generous spirit, always willing to support charities that needed his help.  And due to the financial success of the system he led, he was able to give back compassionately to the community.

Mr. Speaker, I cannot say enough about this fine man, a man who did more in his too-short 60 years than many can aspire to in a longer lifetime. 

To read more about Dr. Lipson, click HERE for an article on his life from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.Š

Phil’s announcement that a Veteran healthcare clinic is coming to Rome has sent waves of excitement throughout the community. One of the most exciting details is that the clinic will be constructed this fiscal year, bringing immediate relief to our area veterans.

The Rome News Tribune reports that Tom Cappello, acting network director for VA hospitals, believes the clinic will be operational in a matter of months:

“An optimistic time frame would be to have something up and running in 4 to 6 months, depending on whatever obstacles we may run into,” Cappello said.

The paper also provides some details about the clinic:

While the planning is barely beyond the concept stage, some details have been released.

The clinic should have three or four primary care providers. In addition, Cappello said outreach programs commonly have mental health services, though those in need of specialized care will be referred to Smyrna or Atlanta.

Rome being a healthcare hub can only have benefits to the rapid establishment of the clinic, Cappello believes, because support services are already established and personnel should be more readily available.

To read more about the VA Clinic, click HERE.

A word of warning to our seniors. According to the Federal Trade Commission:

Scam artists also follow the headlines, and they are reportedly contacting seniors claiming to represent a Medicare Part D provider, when all they really want is personal information, like Social Security numbers or checking or credit card account numbers. They can use this information to commit financial fraud.

To protect yourself from Medicare scams, the FTC offers the following advice:

–  Keep all personal information safe. Don’t give it out until you are sure that a company is working with Medicare and their product is approved by Medicare.
– Resist talking to anyone who comes to your door peddling “offers” of drug coverage. The law says prescription drug benefit companies cannot visit your home unless you’ve given them permission to do so.
– Resist signing up for a plan on the telephone unless YOU make the call.
– Take a friend or family member with you if you decide to attend a sales pitch.

– Also, remember that  Medicare Part D plan providers may ask you how you want to pay your premiums, but they may not ask you for payment over the phone or through the Internet. They must mail you a bill for the premiums. Be aware that there is no fee to enroll in a plan.

If you think you have fallen victim to a Medicare scam, please contact the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Fraud Hotline at 1-800-447-8477.

Phil wants to remind seniors that this year’s open-enrollment for Medicare prescription drug coverage begins November 15, 2006 – that’s this upcoming Wed.

To learn more about Medicare Part D, click HERE or visit www.Medicare.gov.

Tune in to Fox News at 11:15 AM this morning to hear Phil discuss the War in Iraq.