MHS: Source date is: 12-May-95 15:36:00 -0300 EDT ======== Original Message ======== Forwarded to: Internet[[log in to unmask]] Internet[[log in to unmask]] cc: Comments by: Richard R [log in to unmask]@AIDW -------------------------- [Original Message] ------------------------- WASHINGTON (AP) - The government's foreign-aid agency stepped up its campaign to stave off deep budget cuts Wednesday and Democratic supporters in the House accused Republicans of jeopardizing U.S. world leadership. The Agency for International Development highlighted technologies it has developed for use abroad. At a Capitol Hill forum, the agency promoted their potential to save lives and money at home as well - such as inexpensive rehydration treatment for diarrhea and disposable pre-filled syringes for immunization. AID Administrator Brian Atwood said such breakthroughs involving research by private companies likely would not have been made without AID help. ``There's not much margin in producing things for poor people,'' so government support is needed, he said. The campaign for foreign aid is moving into high gear as the House International Relations Committee considers cutting as much as a third from the $2.1 billion in spending on development programs and aid to Africa. Rep. Howard Berman, D-Calif., said aid proponents are ``alarmed by what we see as an attempt by a few isolationists in Congress to slam the door on decades of U.S. global leadership.'' Joining Berman and several other Democrats at a news conference, Rep. Harry Johnston, D-Fla., predicted the United States will ``be a secondary economic power in the world'' if foreign-aid critics prevail. Rep. Alcee Hastings, D-Fla., said Republicans are embarked on ``a foolhardy policy'' that bodes ill for the future of Africa and America. ``We've got to maintain our position as the leader of the world.'' said Rep. Gary Ackerman, D-N.Y. Republicans characterize such rhetoric, and dire statistics about projected child deaths from lack of immunization, as scare tactics. They contend private organizations can assume much of the portfolio now run by AID, which critics call a bloated agency despite its 20 percent cuts and streamlining in the last two years. ``They are obviously pulling out those programs that draw at the American heartstrings,'' said Thomas Sheehy, an analyst at the conservative Heritage Foundation. ``Child survival is a small percentage of their activities.'' AID says cuts will set back efforts to eradicate polio worldwide and thus maintain a need to vaccinate American children against the threat at a cost of $300 million a year. The agency also is promoting potential domestic benefits of its advances in poor countries. The inexpensive salt-glucose solution that prevents an estimated 1 million worldwide deaths a year could be used in the United States in place of hospitalization and intravenous treatment for a savings of $500 million annually, according to AID. Also cited Wednesday was UniJect, a small pre-filled bulb syringe developed with AID's investment of $2.1 million along with $1 million from a commercial producer. It can be used by nonmedical personnel and lessens disease risk from reusable syringes. AID also invested $537,000 to develop a heat-sensitive vaccine label that changes color with age. By giving health care providers a certainty about the vaccine's expiration, the label saves $20 million a year, according to Gordon Perkin, president of the Program for Applied Technology in Health. Perkin's company developed the label with AID's help. Atwood also accused Republicans of trying to embarrass President Clinton internationally by seeking to consolidate AID and other agencies into the State Department. He urged them to abandon the reorganization effort, saying Clinton ``has shown great restraint in not suggesting how (House) Speaker (Newt) Gingrich ought to reorganize the House of Representatives.'' APWR-05-10-95 1740EDT ======== Fwd by: Aimee Martin ======== ======== Fwd by: Judy Canahuat ======== Thought that you all might find this interesting. We don't know how bf will fare under the new "regime", but it would be helpful if those of you who are interested would talk with your networks. Much of what we do internationally has dividends here at home. Speaking of which, the block grants to the states for WIC could be advantageous to bf if our coalitions are solid because state government could potentially be more accessible to us than the federal gov't. The disadvantage is of having 50 different states to deal with. Our comparative advantage is people over money. The formula companies have money. However, if we could develop our network and improve our ability to make coalitions (that means that we must develop the capability of being more than single issue thinkers), we may well be able to influence people at the state level for more support for breastfeeding. In addition, at the state level, if we are proactive, we could organize more advocacy than is probably possible to organize at a federal level. However, it is important to communicate with Congress on this, especially about the importance of including breastfeeding support and services in the guidelines for the block grants and for continued funding internationally for this important aspect of child survival. Recently I attended a meeting with the INTERNATIONAL wing of the Joint Commission for Healthcare Accreditation. There we brought up the issue of the resurveys of Baby Friendly Hospitals as a follow-up to UNICEF and WHO's initial work. My understanding is the one of the objections of the domestic JC to the expert working group has been the cost of surveying hospitals. However, if UNICEF supports the initial surveys and we work together with the JC on what could be included in their ongoing surveys and then hospitals that might be interested in retaining BFH status could ask for inclusion of those aspects of health care in their resurveys. This might be a way of including this topic. Internationally, the JC is interested in talking. If you are interested in discussing this privately, let's continue when I come back from a 2 week trip or at the LLLI and/or ILCA conference. I will be signing off while I am gone. Saludos... Judy Canahuati [log in to unmask]