Press Release
October 18, 2000
Contact: Gillian Ray
703/684-1355
Children's Hospitals Herald White House Signing of "Children's Health Act of 2000"
Children Will Benefit From New Research Funded by National Institutes of Health and New GME Funding for Children's Hospitals
Alexandria, VA - Representing more than 100 children's hospitals across the country, the National Association of Children's Hospitals (N.A.C.H.) applauds President Clinton's signing of the "Children's Health Act of 2000." The new law authorizes the establishment of federal child health funding programs, including a pediatric research initiative in the National Institutes of Health (NIH). It also authorizes funding for children's teaching hospitals.
"The 'Children's Health Act' is a win for the health of all children," said Lawrence A. McAndrews, president and CEO of N.A.C.H. "Americans view pediatric research as a priority investment when it comes to health care spending. They correctly associate research with prevention and the potential to save millions of dollars in the treatment of long term, severe health problems that start in childhood."
Incorporated into the child health bill are the provisions of the "Pediatric Research Initiative Act of 1999," S. 1091 by Sens. Mike DeWine (R-OH), Edward Kennedy (D-MA), and Kit Bond (R-MO), and H.R. 2621 by Reps. Jim Greenwood (R-PA) and Nancy Johnson (R-CT). The legislation is designed to give the NIH director new resources and flexibility, up to $50 million per year, to make pediatric research - research devoted specifically to children's illnesses and conditions - a higher priority in the National Institutes of Health. N.A.C.H. and other child health advocates have championed the pediatric research legislation for several years.
"By incorporating provisions of the 'Pediatric Research Initiative Act,' pediatric research will become an enduring part of NIH," said McAndrews. In recent years, NIH funding for pediatric research has grown along with the rest of the NIH budget. But as a proportion of total NIH funding, pediatric research support has declined slightly from 12.5 percent of NIH to about 12 percent.
Other important provisions of the bill include the establishment of a multi-year funding authority for grants to support asthma prevention and treatment, and the reauthorization of the federal investment in the graduate medical education (GME) programs of independent children's teaching hospitals.
Children's Hospitals' GME - Independent children's teaching hospitals represent less than one percent of all hospitals but train nearly 30 percent of all pediatricians and nearly 50 percent of all pediatric specialists with virtually no federal support for their physician training, until recently. Last year, Congress enacted the "Children's Hospitals Education and Research Act," which authorized federal support for physician training in independent children's hospitals through FY 2001. Enactment of the "Children's Health Act of 2000" continues this funding authority through FY 2005.
Asthma - Asthma is the leading cause of children's admission to children's hospitals, and the incidence of asthma among children has been growing. Last year, Congress appropriated funding to assist in the prevention of childhood asthma. The new legislation provides a multi-year authority for future federal investment.
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N.A.C.H. is a not-for-profit trade association, representing more than 100 children's hospitals across the country, including freestanding acute care children's hospitals, freestanding children's specialty and rehabilitation hospitals, and children's hospitals organized within larger medical centers. The association assists children's hospitals in providing clinical care, education, research, and advocacy devoted to the health and well-being of the nation's children.
