Date sent:      	Tue, 22 Oct 2002 

We have been awaiting formal confirmation that the charter for the CFS Coordinating
Committee has been approved. CFIDS Association member Rita Girard of Illinois
received the following letter from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
(HHS), confirming that the charter has been signed and outlining preliminary plans
for the Committee. We anticipate a Federal Register announcement in the coming weeks
announcing the nomination process, and will forward that information to C-ACT members
once it is released.

Vicki C. Walker
Research & Public Policy Project Manager
The CFIDS Association of America
PO Box 220398, Charlotte NC 28222-0398
E-mail: vwalker@cfids.org
Web: www.cfids.org


Department of Health and Human Services

Office of the Secretary
Assistant Secretary for Health
Office of Public Health and Science
Washington DC 20201

Oct 4, 2002


Dear Ms. Girard:

Senator Richard J. Durbin has asked the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)
to respond to your concerns regarding the status of the Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
Coordinating Committee. A copy of this letter is being sent to Senator Durbin's
office.

The revised charter has recently been approved by Secretary Thompson. We have worked
to bring the CFSCC into conformance with the methods and structure used for the
Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA), as suggested in the GAO report, Chronic
Fatigue Syndrome: CDC and NIH Research Activities Are Diverse, but Agency
Coordination Is Limited (GAO/HEHS-00-98).

We expect to complete the restructuring process soon, and once this task is finalized
we will expedite the nomination process for Committee members. With this transition,
the Committee will be under the direction of the Office of the Secretary. The
Committee's Executive Secretary function will be located within the Office of Public
Health and Science, with appropriate Federal agencies continuing to provide support
via memoranda of agreement. One representative from each of four HHS agencies will be
invited to serve as ex officio members of the Committee. They will include the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Food and Drug Administration, the
Health Resources and Services Administration, and the National Institutes of Health.
The Social Security Administration will also be invited to serve as an ex officio
member. As with other advisory committees, these five Federal ex-officio members will
be non-voting members.

We believe that these changes are responsive to both the GAO's recommendations and
the greater needs of HHS to seek continuing advice and counsel from the public. A
date for the next Committee meeting has yet to be determined, but we anticipate
meeting at least once this calendar year.

Thank you for your interest in this important issue.

Sincerely yours,

Eve E. Slater, MD, FACC
Assistant Secretary for Health




The CFIDS Association of America
Advocacy, Information, Research and Encouragement for the CFIDS Community

PO Box 220398, Charlotte NC 28222-0398
Voice Mail: 800-442-3437
Resource Line: 704-365-2343
Fax: 704-365-9755
Web: www.cfids.org
General E-mail: info@cfids.org
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