Obama Chooses Dr. Regina Benjamin as Next Surgeon General

It's being reported that President Obama has chosen Alabama family physician Dr. Regina Benjamin to be the next Surgeon General.

The AP reports: "Benjamin was the first black woman to head a state medical society, received the Nelson Mandela Award for Health and Human Rights and just last fall received a MacArthur Foundation 'genius grant.' But she made headlines in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, with her determination to rebuild her rural health clinic Bayou La Batre, Ala., which serves 4,400 patients who would be hard-pressed to find care elsewhere."

Obama is set to make the announcement later today.

White House In Need of a Spine Donor on Health Care?

White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel just said, "The goal is to have a means and a mechanism to keep the private insurers honest. The goal is non-negotiable; the path is [negotiable]."

His comments, in a Wall Street Journal interview, indicate that the Obama Administration would be open to health care reform without a government-run public option, the exact opposite message from New York Senator Charles Schumer, who on Face the Nation Sunday said he would fight for such an option.

"Make no mistake about it, the president is for it strongly. There will be a public option in the final bill," Schumer stated.

This comes after President Obama publicly scolded advocacy groups for attacking conservative Democrats who take money from the health industry and who are therefore leaning against the public option. Seems to be a case of broadcasting what you're willing to do without.

Not a very strong negotiating tactic.

After the jump, a short video giving the public the option of making a @#$! call or two to Emanuel...

Swine Flu Map: Watch the Outbreak #Swineflu

View H1N1 Swine Flu in a larger map

Here's a map documenting all known cases of swine flu, updated by the World Health Organization as they are declared. Pink markers are suspect cases, purple markers are confirmed cases, and yellow markers are negativu.Se. Markers without dots in them are deaths.

Swine flu F.A.Q. U.S. declares public health emergency. Mexico emergency...

What you need to know.

Swine flu "debacle" in 1976 recalled: "Warren D. Ward, 48, was in high school when the swine flu threat of 1976 swept the U.S. The Whittier man remembers the episode vividly because a relative died in the 1918 flu pandemic, and the 1976 illness was feared to be a direct descendant of the deadly virus. 'The government wanted everyone to get vaccinated,' Ward said. 'But the epidemic never really broke out. It was a threat that never materialized.' What did materialize were cases of a rare side effect thought to be linked to the shot. The unexpected development cut short the vaccination effort -- an unprecedented national campaign -- after 10 weeks."

More than 100 dead in Mexico as countries race to contain outbreak... Quarantine talk...

Health experts "puzzled" over disparity in deaths between Mexico and U.S. : "Nearly all those who died in Mexico were between 20 and 40 years old, and they died of severe pneumonia from a flu-like illness believed caused by a unique swine flu virus. The 11 U.S. victims cover a wider age range, as young as 9 to over 50. All those people either recovered or are recovering; at least two were hospitalized."

Queens Prep school epicenter of flu in NYC.

Swine flu to be called "Mexican flu" in Israel? World Animal Health Organization: Shouldn't be called "swine flu": "The flu virus spreading around the world should not be called "swine flu" as it also contains avian and human components and no pig was found ill with the disease so far, the World Animal Health body said on Monday. A more logical name for it would be 'North-American influenza', a name based on its geographic origin just like the Spanish influenza, another human flu pandemic with animal origin that killed more than 50 million people in 1918-1919."

Obama on swine flu ("This is obviously a cause for concern and requires a heightened state of alert. But it is not a cause for alarm."), AFTER THE JUMP...

NYT: Obama on the Spot Over Court Orders Challenging DOMA

The NYT expands on a bit of news that I posted back at the beginning of February regarding the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruling that health benefits must be paid to same-sex partners of federal employees. It's a ruling that clashes with the federal Defense of Marriage Act, and

"As a presidential candidate, Mr. Obama said he would 'fight hard' for the rights of gay couples. As a senator, he sponsored legislation that would have provided health benefits to same-sex partners of federal employees. Now, Mr. Obama is in a tough spot. If he supports the personnel office on denying benefits to the San Francisco court employees, he risks agitating liberal groups that helped him win election. If he supports the judges and challenges the marriage act, he risks alienating Republicans with whom he is seeking to work on economic, health care and numerous other matters."

Obama has repeatedly promised to repeal DOMA. In an open letter to the gay community written a little more than a year ago, Obama said: "Unlike Senator Clinton, I support the complete repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) – a position I have held since before arriving in the U.S. Senate. While some say we should repeal only part of the law, I believe we should get rid of that statute altogether. Federal law should not discriminate in any way against gay and lesbian couples, which is precisely what DOMA does."

According to the Times, "Federal officials said they had to follow the laws on the books (in response to the appeals court ruling). But Richard Socarides, a New York lawyer who was an adviser to President Bill Clinton on gay issues, said he believed that Mr. Obama 'has broad discretionary authority to find ways to ameliorate some of the more blatant examples of discrimination.'"

"Congress may soon weigh in" as well: "Senator Joseph I. Lieberman, independent of Connecticut, and Representative Tammy Baldwin, Democrat of Wisconsin, plan to introduce bills that would provide benefits to same-sex partners of federal employees." Last week, Baldwin said the legislation was coming "shortly."

Obama on Spot as Rulings Aid Gay Partners [nyt]

Obama Names Gay Man to Head Office of National AIDS Policy

President Obama announced today that Jeffrey S. Crowley, MPH, Senior Research Scholar at Georgetown University’s Health Policy Institute, is the new Director of Office of National AIDS Policy, according to a White House announcement received by Towleroad.

Crowley is gay. According to the Victory Fund, "The LGBT community’s Presidential Appointments Project recommended Crowley for the appointment."

Said Obama: “Jeffrey Crowley brings the experience and expertise that will help our nation address the ongoing HIV/AIDS crisis and help my administration develop policies that will serve Americans with disabilities. In both of these key areas, we continue to face serious challenges and we must take bold steps to meet them. I look forward to Jeffrey’s leadership on these critical issues.”

According to the statement: "The Office of National AIDS Policy (ONAP) is the White House Office tasked with coordinating the continuing efforts of the government to reduce the number of HIV infections across the United States. The office emphasizes prevention through wide-ranging education initiatives and also helps to coordinate the care and treatment of citizens with HIV/AIDS. The President has made a strong commitment to developing a national AIDS strategy, which will be a top priority for the Office of National AIDS Policy.  In addition, ONAP coordinates with international bodies to ensure that the fight against HIV/AIDS is fully integrated around the world.  The ONAP is part of the Executive Office of the President’s Domestic Policy Council (DPC)"

In related news, Peter Staley at POZ reported that "tucked away in the massive stimulus package signed by President Obama last week is the largest budget increase in the NIH's history" which will mean a nearly $1 billion increase in the current NIH AIDS research budget of $2.9 billion.

 Crowley's bio, AFTER THE JUMP...

AIDS Treatment Activist Martin Delaney Dies

More sad news, via Peter Staley at POZ:

"This country's most accomplished and influential AIDS treatment activist, Martin Delaney, died (Friday) at his home in San Rafael, California. Marty was the founder of Project Inform, and I blogged last year about how much he meant to me and so many others. Among his many accomplishments, Marty was the father of the 'parallel track' policy, developed by Anthony Fauci at the NIH in 1989, which allowed patients with AIDS whose condition prevents them from participating in controlled clinical trials to receive promising experimental drugs. Although not HIV positive himself, Marty's tireless activism with the FDA, NIH and pharma helped save my life, and the lives of thousands of people with HIV/AIDS. He died from inoperable liver cancer stemming from a history of hepatitis B virus infection."

Staley reports that Delaney was awarded the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) Director’s Special Recognition Award one week ago.

Watch a tribute to Delaney from Anthony Fauci, recorded last year, AFTER THE JUMP...