Man Posed As Secret Service Agent at HHS

A man pretending to be a U.S. Secret Service agent slipped past security Saturday at the Department of Health and Human Services in Washington and was not stopped until he got to the sixth-floor suite of offices for Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, authorities said.

Frederick J. Nickerson, 46, apparently left the building after being confronted by employees. He was arrested Tuesday on charges of impersonating a Secret Service agent and was being held pending a detention hearing next week in the District’s federal court.

Officials with the Federal Protective Service wrote in court papers that Nickerson flashed what appeared to be a Secret Service badge to security guards and said he was employed by the agency and needed to see Sebelius. Nickerson also motioned to the side of his body as if to suggest he was carrying a gun on his waistband, court papers say. He is not an employee of HHS or Secret Service.

A witness later saw Nickerson sitting in the lobby outside Sebelius's suite making calls on his cellphone.

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HHS To Review Public Health Threat Readiness

The U.S. Health and Human Services Department announced plans yesterday to reassess the nation’s attempts to produce vaccines and treatments for biological weapons and other public health threats, the Washington Post reported today

On a day when the government announced it had made available less than half the hoped-for number of H1N1 vaccine doses, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said her department would undertake a thorough review of policies affecting all of the country’s public health emergencies.

The plan goes beyond longstanding problems associated with the swine flu vaccine program to include what she called “countermeasures” against disasters, both natural and manmade.

“Today, we face a wider range of public health threats than ever before in our history,” she told the American Medical Association’s Congress on Health System Readiness. “It could be anthrax delivered in an envelope. It could be a dirty bomb set off in a subway car. It could be a new strain of flu that our bodies have no immunity to.”

Speaking to the AMA group in Washington, Mrs. Sebelius admitted the “challenges” involved in the government’s billion-dollar campaign to protect the population against the current pandemic, but she concentrated on obstacles beyond development of better vaccines.

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Live H1N1 Briefing for Bloggers and Our Readers Today

Join the live Webcast to learn detailed information about influenza prevention and treatment, warning signs for parents, anti-viral medications, and vaccinations. A question and answer session will provide the opportunity to engage directly with leading communication and public health experts, including:

• Kathleen Sebelius, Secretary, HHS
• Anne Schuchat, Director, National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, CDC

Viewers can participate in the Webcast by sending questions via email to hhsstudio@hhs.gov or via Twitter by including the hashtag #FluCast in their tweets.

FLU.GOV LIVE.

Today – Webcast Latest Flu Information, Preparedness

On Tuesday, August 4, from 3 to 4 p.m. Eastern time, the Secretaries of Health and Human Services (HHS), Education, and Homeland Security (DHS) will hold a webcast entitled “Know What to Do about H1N1 and Seasonal Flu.”

The webcast may be accessed by going to www.flu.gov. The webcast will provide the latest information on vaccine development; vaccine planning and preparedness efforts; federal funding support for state efforts and; progress on planning and preparedness for schools, child care centers businesses and communities.

To log on to the webcast that will feature HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano and Education Secretary Arne Duncan simply go to www.flu.gov on Tuesday August 4 at 3:00 p.m. eastern time. Registration is not required but Adobe Flash  must be installed on the computer to view the live video stream.

Prior to and during the webcast citizens will be able to submit questions to the secretaries about the role of local communities and governments in flu preparedness efforts. Questions can be e-mailed to Flu Questions. Be sure to include name, title, city and state.