Obama Declares Flu Emergency US Deaths From Swine Flu Surpass 1,000
By PHILIP ELLIOTT, AP
posted: 29 MINUTES AGOcomments: 1061filed under: Health News, National News
PRINT|E-MAILMOREText SizeAAAATLANTA (Oct. 24) - President Barack Obama declared the swine flu outbreak a national emergency and empowered his health secretary to suspend federal requirements and speed treatment for thousands of infected people.
The declaration that Obama signed late Friday authorized Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius to bypass federal rules so health officials can respond more quickly to the outbreak, which has killed more than 1,000 people in the United States.
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Damian Dovarganes, AP
A fire department official receives a flu vaccination Friday in Los Angeles.
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The goal is to remove bureaucratic roadblocks and make it easier for sick people to seek treatment and medical providers to provide it immediately. That could mean fewer hurdles involving Medicare, Medicaid or health privacy regulations.
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