Date sent:      	Sat, 14 Sep 2002 

Letter from the US Assistant Secretary for Health regarding the CFS
Committee status


The National CFIDS Foundation received the following letter from Dr. Slater,
Assistant Secretary for Health (US Department of Health and Human Services),
regarding the CFS Advisory Committee. It appears that the formation of this
Committee is on track at this point. We have been in direct contact with
DHHS and have not felt the need for any Congressional intervention.

Jill McLaughlin
Executive Director
National CFIDS Foundation, Inc.
Needham, MA 02492

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Office of the Secretary
_____________

Assistant Secretary for Health
Office of Public Health and Science
Washington D.C 20201


August 30, 2002


Ms. Jill McLaughlin
Executive Director
National CFIDS Foundation, Inc.
103 Aletha Road
Needham, MA 02492-3931

Dear Ms. McLaughlin:

The Secretary of Health And Human Services, Tommy G. Thompson, has asked me
to respond to your concerns regarding the status of the Chronic Fatigue
Syndrome Coordinating Committee (CFSCC). The Department of Health and Human
Services (HHS) recognizes the important role that the CFSCC has played in
addressing issues related to Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS). Coordination
and communication regarding CFS research and other issues between HHS
agencies, the biomedical community, and voluntary organizations are vital to
the many individuals affected by CFS.

As you are aware, the Department is in the process of reviewing its advisory
committees, including the CFSCC. We have worked to bring the CFSCC into
conformance with the methods and structure used for the Federal Advisory
Committee Act (FACA), as recommended in the GAO report, Chronic Fatigue
Syndrome: CDC and NIH Research Activities Are Diverse, but Agency
Coordination Is Limited (GAO/HEHS-00-98). The revised charter is in the
final stages of development, and we expect to complete the restructuring
process soon. 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 (OS). The Committee's Executive Secretary function
will be located within the Office of Public Health and Science, with the
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 (CDC), the Food and Drug
Administration (FDA), the Health resources and Services Administration
(HRSA), and the National Institutes of Health (NH). The social Security
Administration (SSA) 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 the meeting at least once this calendar year.

Thank you for your interest on this very important issue.

Sincerely yours,

Eve E. Slater, M.D., F.A.C.C.
Assistant Secretary for Health