HHS, HUD Partner to Allow Rental Assistance to Support Inedpendent Living for Non-Elderly Persons with Disabilities

Thousands of Americans with disabilities will have housing assistance specifically targeted to meet their needs, Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Shaun Donovan announced today.

As part of President Obama's Year of Community Living initiative, HHS and HUD collaborated to provide housing support for non-elderly persons with disabilities to live productive independent lives in their communities rather than in institutional settings.

HUD is offering approximately $40 million to public housing authorities across the country to fund approximately 5,300 Housing Choice Vouchers for non-elderly persons with disabilities, allowing them to live independently. HHS will use its network of state Medicaid agencies and local human service organizations to link eligible individuals and their families to local housing agencies who will administer voucher distribution.

"This number of vouchers to this community is a major milestone for HUD," said Donovan. "I am pleased that two federal agencies have combined efforts to give these individuals the independence they so desperately want and deserve."

"This commitment by HHS and HUD to directly link housing support to these individuals will be of immeasurable value not only to them, but to the communities in which they will be living," said Sebelius. "Individuals with disabilities have so much to contribute to the quality of life in our communities when given the freedom and opportunity to do so."

Of the 5,300 vouchers set aside as part of this program, up to1,000 will be specifically targeted for non-elderly individuals with disabilities currently living in institutions but who could move into the community with assistance (Category II). The remaining 4,300 (Category I) can be used for this purpose also, but are targeted for use by non-elderly individuals with disabilities and their families in the community to allow them to access affordable housing that adequately meets their needs.

In addition, HUD is encouraging housing authorities to establish a selection preference to make some, or all, of their Category I allocation available to individuals with disabilities and their families who, without housing assistance, are at risk of institutionalization. Housing authorities have 90 days to submit their applications to HUD. HUD expects to have funding awards ready late fall 2010.

"Many of these individuals are low-income and can not afford market rates for housing. For a number of Americans, these vouchers, along with Medicaid home and community-based services, are essential supports that make the President's vision for community living possible," Sebelius noted.

The vouchers will augment work already being done by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) through its Medicaid Money Follows the Person (MFP) grant program. Originally set to expire next year, the "Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010" extended the MFP program through 2016 with an additional appropriation of over $2 billion. The Act also cut to three months, from the previous six months, the amount of time a person must be in an institution to qualify for help making the transition to community life.

Now in its third year, the MFP program has made it possible for almost 6,000 people to live more independent lives by providing necessary supports and services in the community. Some 29 states and the District of Columbia have MFP programs.

The Year of Community Living is an outgrowth of a 1999 Supreme Court decision in Olmstead v. L.C., in which the court ruled that under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) unnecessarily institutionalizing a person with a disability who, with proper support, can live in the community can amount to discrimination. In its ruling, the Court said that institutionalization severely limits the person's ability to interact with family and friends, to work and to make a life for him or herself.

As a result of the Olmstead ruling, HHS issued guidance to states on how to make their Medicaid programs more responsive to people living with disabilities who wish to reside in the least restrictive setting. Today's announcement is yet another step in HHS's 10-year effort to achieve that goal.

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American College of Surgeons Voices Strong Support for American Cancer Society Screening Mammography Guidelines

/PRNewswire/ -- The American College of Surgeons (ACoS) today released comments strongly supporting current American Cancer Society (ACS) screening mammography guidelines that recommend women get a mammogram every year, starting at age 40. The College is supporting the ACS guidelines despite the recommendations from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force stating the women should have regular mammograms once every two years beginning at the age of 50. The College believes the ACS guidelines have resulted in an effective approach toward dealing with the possibility of breast cancer and that women should continue to follow them in consultation with their physicians.

The federal panel's position that regular mammography screening in women under the age of 50 may do more harm than good was dismissed by David P. Winchester, MD, FACS, Medical Director of ACoS Cancer Programs, and Chair of the National Accreditation Program of Breast Centers. Dr. Winchester was particularly concerned about the panel's belief that mammography may cause an increased risk of false-positive results in younger women who have denser breast tissue, observing that "the term unnecessary biopsy is misleading. In most cases," he said, "biopsy -- done by either surgeons or radiologists -- is the reliable way to rule out cancer at any age."

The College notes that the American Cancer Society has long recognized mammography "as the gold standard for early detection of breast cancer,"* and ACoS encourages women to take an active role in partnering with their physicians to determine at what age, and what interval, they should undergo screening mammography. The College agrees with the ACS that factors such as a woman's family history of the disease and her overall medical condition are some of the issues that should be addressed, particularly for women who are known to be at an increased risk for developing the disease.

"Many surgeons in this country have the tremendous responsibility and privilege of caring for breast cancer patients each day. While recognizing that mammography is not perfect and supporting continuing research for improved methods, the surgical community believes that the American Cancer Society's screening mammography guidelines offer an optimal approach to detecting breast cancer early, when it can be most successfully treated," Lamar S. McGinnis, Jr., MD, FACS, President of the American College of Surgeons and former president of the American Cancer Society, said. "Mammography is a good and safe tool, which we will continue to improve. In the meantime," he added, "let's save lives as best we can. The lives of women, mothers, and grandmothers are invaluable. Our progress has been significant, and it will continue. Let us not confuse our patients and the public with mixed messages."

About the American College of SurgeonsThe American College of Surgeons is a scientific and educational organization of surgeons that was founded in 1913 to raise the standards of surgical practice and to improve the care of the surgical patient. The College is dedicated to the ethical and competent practice of surgery. Its achievements have significantly influenced the course of scientific surgery in America and have established it as an important advocate for all surgical patients. The College has more than 77,000 members and is the largest organization of surgeons in the world. For more information, visit www.facs.org.

In the field of cancer care, the American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer (CoC) is a pioneer in measuring performance. All hospitals and freestanding cancer treatment facilities approved by the CoC report clinical data through the National Cancer Data Base and receive evidence-based benchmark comparison reports based on accepted standards of care for breast and colorectal cancers. These measures are endorsed by the National Quality Forum. In addition, the College administers the National Accreditation Program for Breast Centers (NAPBC), a consortium of national, professional organizations dedicated to the improvement of the quality of care and the monitoring of outcomes for patients with diseases of the breast.

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