[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 204 (Wednesday, October 22, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 60393-60394]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-26628]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES


Partners Invited To Participate in Steps to a HealthierUS

AGENCY: Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the 
Secretary.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) seeks to 
work with other public and private sector organizations to support a 
new Federal initiative to promote better health for all Americans. This 
initiative is called Steps to a HealthierUS and is part of the 
President's HealthierUS Initiative to help Americans live longer, 
better, and healthier lives. This Steps Partnership initiative is not a 
grant or contract award program and each partner will be responsible 
for supporting its own activities. Working together, it is intended 
that these partnerships will provide innovative opportunities to 
promote healthier living and successfully promote the principles and 
efforts of the Steps initiative. More information about Steps is 
available at: http://www.healthierus.gov/steps/. Partnerships are not 
limited to any existing list of priority projects.

DATES: Comments expressing or affirming an interest in the Steps to a 
HealthierUS Partnerships initiative will be most useful if received 
within three months of the publication of this notice. Contact 
identification information to permit further discussion and 
consideration of ideas of mutual interest may be sent to either the 
street address or the email address set out in the next paragraph.

ADDRESSES: Expressions of interest, comments and questions may be sent 
to the following email address, [email protected], or 
by regular mail with contact information, as appropriate, to: Steps to 
a HealthierUS Partnerships, c/o Office of Public Health & Science, U.S. 
Department of Health and Human Services, 200 Independence Avenue SW, 
Room 738G, Washington DC 20201.
    Organization representatives may also call the following 
information line: 1(800) 631-0926. Callers will be directed to 
appropriate agency officials or to other collaborating partners with 
similar or complementary interests for further discussions.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: HHS is the United States government's 
principal agency for promoting and protecting the health of all 
Americans. HHS manages many programs, covering a broad spectrum of 
health promotion and disease prevention services and activities. 
Leaders in the business community, State and local government 
officials, tribes and tribal entities and charitable, faith-based, and 
community organizations have expressed an interest in partnering with 
the Department to promote healthy choices and behaviors. The Secretary 
welcomes this interest. With this notice, the Secretary outlines 
opportunities for these and other entities to partner with HHS, in 
order to address health promotion and chronic disease prevention and 
control activities. The Steps program will be carried out consistent 
with HHS's broad statutory authorities found in 42 U.S.C. 238, 241, 
280e-11, 280h-280h-3, and 300u-300u-3 and, in some cases, pursuant to 
more particular, pertinent Public Health Service Act provisions or 
other HHS program statutes.
    In recent years, the public has become more aware of the burden of 
illness and death caused by chronic diseases such as asthma, cancer, 
diabetes, heart disease, obesity, and stroke--and of the connection 
between these chronic diseases and lifestyle choices involving tobacco 
use, improper diet, and lack of exercise. Despite this new 
understanding and awareness, more than 1.7 million Americans die of a 
chronic disease each year, accounting for about 70% of all U.S. deaths. 
In addition, more than 175 million Americans live with chronic 
conditions, with millions of new cases diagnosed each year. These 
serious diseases are often treatable, but not generally curable. Thus, 
the Secretary believes it is important and timely for the Nation to 
increase prevention efforts to fight chronic disease.
    The Steps to a HealthierUS initiative focuses on both health 
promotion and chronic disease prevention and control through the 
following activities:
    1. Community-based education programs highlighting steps that can 
be taken to prevent or reduce the incidence of chronic diseases;
    2. Health promoting programs and environments in school, worksite, 
faith-based and community-based settings;
    3. Improved access to preventive, diagnostic and treatment 
services;
    4. The elimination of racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic-based 
health disparities;
    5. Improved delivery of evidence-based clinical preventive services 
and chronic disease management; and
    6. Evaluation of chronic disease prevention and health promotion 
interventions.

Introduction

    Federal health promotion and chronic disease prevention goals 
cannot be achieved without
    (a) Change in individual behavioral practices and change in 
organizational cultures and actions, both based on increased knowledge 
and understanding;
    (b) Optimal utilization of preventive or treatment services; along 
with
    (c) Improvement in prevention, diagnostic, and treatment 
technologies and systems.
    HHS has limited resources with which to achieve implementation of 
large-scale nationwide changes. Moreover, to achieve such societal 
changes, the involvement of both public and private organizations is 
necessary. For efforts of this magnitude, the Department periodically 
invites outside organizations to join in carrying out activities of 
mutual interest to achieve shared objectives. These partnerships are 
voluntary. The parties work together to carry out their respective, 
consistent missions for the common good.

Collaboration With Public and Private Sector Organizations

    In order to implement the Steps nationwide initiative, HHS is 
interested in establishing partnerships with private corporations and 
other entities, including charitable, faith-based, and community 
organizations, as well as with State and local governments, that can 
help extend the program's reach to all Americans. In accordance with 
each entity's particular strengths and

[[Page 60394]]

abilities, partnerships will be established; each partner will be 
responsible for providing the resources necessary to carry out 
specified activities of mutual interest.
    As partners with HHS, both public and private sector organizations 
can bring their respective ideas and expertise, administrative 
capabilities, and production and material resources, that are 
consistent with the goals of the Steps initiative, to, for example:
    (a) Share in the development of educational health information and 
its distribution to employees or to the public, e.g., promoting healthy 
lifestyles to prevent chronic diseases, programs aimed at improving 
consumers' understanding of how proper dietary choices and physical 
activity can improve health and prevent obesity and other chronic 
diseases or providing practical guidance and information on how to 
obtain diagnostic and treatment services. Public education efforts 
could include Web-site and software development, work with local or 
national media, and sponsorship of health promotion events, each 
activity generally enhancing consumer understanding of health 
information related to health promoting behaviors and chronic disease 
prevention and control;
    (b) Foster the creation and maintenance of effective health and 
wellness and physical activity programs that provide clear measurable 
results;
    (c) Participate in the development of health professional 
educational activities, including conference co-sponsorship or co-
publication and dissemination of professional educational materials, 
such as reports of proceedings and any resulting recommendations; and
    (d) Conduct or support chronic disease prevention research, or 
undertake scientific testing and evaluation of commercial products 
related to the Steps initiative, such as interactive computer software 
and media tools.
    Partnership agreements will make clear that there will be no 
Federal endorsement of commercial products or of particular companies. 
HHS will have a right to review the use of Department logos and 
statements related to Steps on such materials and products to ensure 
that they are suitable for the initiative and that government 
neutrality with respect to commercial products is maintained. When the 
Steps logo is approved for use on commercial materials or products that 
promote healthier lifestyles or foster other Steps objectives and are 
incorporated in Steps initiative activities, a disclaimer will be 
required to be printed on, or affixed to commercial partner materials 
and products indicating that the use of the logo does not imply any 
Federal endorsement or warranty of a particular commercial product or 
of other products of a particular company.

Evaluation Criteria

    After engaging in exploratory discussions of potential partnerships 
and partnership activities with respondents, the following 
considerations will be used by HHS officials, as appropriate and 
relevant, to determine whether HHS will engage in partnership 
activities with particular entities and the scope of those activities.
    1. Are the activities proposed by the offering entity likely to 
provide a substantial public health benefit, consistent with HHS goals 
and the Steps to a HealthierUS Initiative?
    2. Does the proposed partnership's potential for public health 
benefit outweigh any potential negative impact on the agency and its 
ability to accomplish its missions? What adjustments if any, would make 
the proposal acceptable?
    3. Is there an identifiable and appropriate role for HHS?
    4. Does the outside entity have the expertise and capacity to carry 
out its proposed activities?
    5. Has the outside entity demonstrated a willingness to work 
collaboratively with other public and private sector organizations to 
achieve the stated Steps to a HealthierUS goals or to advance related 
efforts, activities, or initiatives?
    Given the Steps Initiative's objectives, entities who have similar 
goals and consistent interests, appropriate expertise and resources, 
and would like to pursue chronic disease prevention and health 
promotion activities within their own organizations, or on a broader 
scale, in collaboration with the Department, are encouraged to reply to 
this notice. Working together, it is intended that these partnerships 
will provide innovative opportunities to promote healthier living.

    Dated: October 16, 2003.
Cristina V. Beato,
Acting Assistant Secretary for Health.
[FR Doc. 03-26628 Filed 10-21-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4150-32-P