KFF Foundation Creates AIDS Briefing Series for Lawmakers

The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation has launched a Capitol Hill Briefing Series designed to provide lawmakers with the latest information on the state of the human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome epidemic and to allow for an interchange of ideas with experts. The briefing series is a bipartisan effort, co-sponsored by Sens. James Jeffords (R-Vt.), Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) and Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.) and Reps. Michael Bilirakis (R-Fla.), Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Henry Waxman (D-Calif.). Each briefing in the series focuses on different aspects of the epidemic. Topics include research, insurance, care and the course of the epidemic. The Kaiser Family Foundation is an independent philanthropy focusing on the major health care issues in the United States. For more information, visit the foundation's Web site at http://www.kff.org.

AAFP Network to Participate in Practice-Based Research

Herbert F. Young, M.D., director of the Division of Scientific Activities of the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) will be the principal investigator of a research project funded by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality as part of its initiative to study bioterrorism threats. Dr. Young will lead a national network, developed by AAFP, which includes 143 clinicians from practices in 35 states and nine Canadian provinces. The network will explore the adequacy of linkages of physicians' offices with public health and emergency preparedness agencies. The AHRQ has budgeted $121,388 for the project, which will run through September 2001.

AFP Offers E-mail Notification of Contents

Readers of American Family Physician (AFP) can now opt to receive a table of contents from the journal via e-mail. To sign up, visit AFP's home page at https://www.aafp.org/afp and click on the “E-mail Preview Table of Contents” link on the right side of the page. Readers are asked to enter their e-mail address. The table of contents of each issue will be e-mailed on the day the issue goes online—several days before the printed journal is received in the mail.

Advocates Launch Web Site on Neurologic Disorders

In a campaign to heighten public awareness about the impact of neurologic disorders, an advocacy group will publish profiles of persons living with brain disease. The group will use a Web site (http://www.thebrainmatters.org) to reach people and provide information for those seeking help and information. It is the goal of the site, which is organized by the American Academy of Neurology's Education and Research Foundation, to assist millions of people with stories of hope and to be a central source for help with specific neurologic diseases. For more information, contact the American Academy of Neurology at 651-695-2755 or visit the Web site at http://www.aan.com.

AHRQ to Fund Research Centers for Study of Medical Errors

The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) is inviting health care groups to apply for grants to establish up to six Centers for Excellence for Patient Safety Research and Practice. The AHRQ will award up to $5 million for the project, the first in a series to be released under the AHRQ's new patient safety and medical errors research program. Supported projects will test the effectiveness and cost of diverse reporting strategies and the identification, management and reduction of medical errors. Letters of intent from the research centers are due January 3, 2001; applications are due January 24, 2001. For additional information about requests for application, visit http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/RFA-HS-01-002.html.

HHS Announces Programs to Help Disabled Persons Work

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has announced the introduction of two new grant programs that will enable more people with disabilities to hold jobs. Of the two initiatives, one—the Demonstration to Maintain Independence and Employment—will enable people with chronic, disabling conditions to get medical benefits without having to quit their jobs to obtain care. The other grant—Medicaid Infrastructure Grants Program—will assist states to increase services to those who work, as well as help others return to work without fear of losing health coverage. The grants are covered by the Ticket to Work and Work Incentives Improvement Act of 1999 (TWWIIA). Rhode Island and Mississippi will be the first states to receive funds under the Demonstration to Maintain Independence and Employment grant, but all states are eligible to apply for the grants, which were authorized at a spending level of $250 million over six years. The Medicaid Infrastructure Grants Program was approved for 11 years with $150 million appropriated for the first five years of the program. Twenty-four states and the District of Columbia will be eligible to receive the first round of awards. For more information, visit the HHS Web site at http://www.hhs.gov.