THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 2003
NEWS
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN = 7A
Vaccine injuries hinder program
The Associated Press
WASHINGTON — State health officials said yesterday that concerns over compensation for people injured by the smallpox vaccine are hampering the inoculation program, which has vaccinated just a few hundred people so far.
Federal authorities acknowledge the problem but still have no solution.
Based on historic data, a small number of people vaccinated will face serious injuries, and federal officials acknowledge they need a way to offer compensation for lost wages and medical expenses. But officials made clear they still lacked a plan even as states are beginning to inoculate smallpox response teams.
The only way people now can get reimbursed for expenses is through the workers' compensation system, which federal officials say has many holes.
"I say we many times, 'We're stepping up to the front lines to protect the public health. We expect the federal government to come in there and support us,' said Dr. Leah Devlin
state medical director in North Carolina.
New York City plans to delay its program for months, partly because of concerns about compensation, a federal official said.
Nebraska initially aimed to inoculate 3,000 people in the first phase, but officials are now expecting a total closer to 1,700, said Dr. Richard Raymond, the state's chief medical officer. The difference was partly due to concerns about compensation, he said.
In Virginia, many hospitals were skeptical about the small-pox program to start with, and the lack of compensation has made the problem worse, said Lisa Kaplowitz, deputy commissioner for emergency preparedness and response at the state's Health Department.
To prepare for a potential attack, federal officials had hoped states would vaccinate up to 500,000 people on smallpox
response teams and in hospital emergency rooms during the first phase of a preparation program. In the second phase, they hope states will inoculate up to 10 million other people, including more health care workers and emergency responders.
States have expressed a variety of concerns since President Bush announced this policy in December. Many officials worry they do not have enough money to run their vaccination programs. Some say they are still not convinced that the risk of smallpox is great enough to risk the vaccine.
"What if the federal government threw a vaccine party and nobody came?" David Engelthaler, chief of the Arizona Department of Health Services bioterrorism office, asked at a National Governors Association bioterrorism session.
So far, 11 states and one city had vaccinated 432 people, said Joe Henderson, bioterrorism chief at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Forty-three states and large cities have requested 368,700 doses of vac
cine, and 221,700 doses have been shipped so far, he said.
Henderson acknowledged that the compensation issue was causing significant concerns, but he tried to play down expectations for the program.
"We feel it would be a success if no one received the vaccine but we offered this opportunity to all the right people," he said.
Because the vaccine can cause serious injuries, Congress barred most lawsuits against hospitals and others administering the shots. That left people who are injured with little opportunity for compensation.
People who get inoculated because of their jobs may be eligible for workers' compensation. But in most states, injured workers are not reimbursed their full wages. In New York state, for instance, the maximum compensation is two-thirds of their salaries, up to $400 per week.
In North Carolina, some hospitals underwrite their own workers' compensation programs, meaning they will bear the cost of any claims.
Playing for pride
Jamey McGilbray, Wichita graduate student, enters the faculty team huddle in a game versus the Black Student Union. The event Saturday helped commence Black History Month at the University.
Scott Reynolds/Kansan
Sebelius questions education system
The Associated Press
TOPEKA — A group of former educators, politicians and business leaders agreed yesterday that Kansas had a good education system but that there was cause to worry that it was slipping in quality.
Gov. Kathleen Sebelius appointed the 28-member group to make recommendations for improving the state's education system. She told the group she wanted it to review student achievement, study cost-efficiency issues and propose ways to groom leaders among teachers and students.
Sebelius said she wanted
Kansas to be a national leader in education within five years. Kansas routinely ranks high among other states in student scores on standardized tests.
"The good news about this challenge is we have an enormously positive platform to work from," Sebelius said.
But, she added: "We're in a precarious position. Without looking at gaps and continuing the excellence, the platform will become one full of holes."
The advisers held their first meeting since being appointed by Sebelius, and expects to meet at least twice a month. Sebelius has not given the group a deadline for completing its work.
Sprint layoffs help company turn profit
The Associated Press
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Sprint Corp., facing a report its two top executives are being forced out over their use of a questionable type of tax shelter, reported earnings yesterday of $39 million during the fourth quarter.
The profit is a substantial increase over the $1.2 billion loss the company reported during the same period a year earlier.
The company credited cost-cutting measures, which have included 17,000 layoffs since October 2001.
Sprint confirmed Sunday that William T. Esrey, its longtime chief executive and chairman, would step down.
The company has not said why or when Esrey, 63, would
leave, but his resignation was not unexpected because he was diagnosed with lymphoma in November.
However, yesterday, The Wall Street Journal, citing unnamed sources, reported that Esrey and Ronald T. LeMay, Sprint's president and chief operating officer, was being forced out as part of a boardroom dispute over their use of a questionable type of tax shelter that was under scrutiny by the Internal Revenue Service.
Sprint executives would not comment on the report.
"Management is focused on the operations and running of this company," Esrey said during a conference call with investors yesterday morning. "If there's
anything appropriate to say, we will say them at the appropriate time, but not on this call."
The Overland Park, Kanbased company wants Gary Forsee, a vice chairman at BellSouth Corp. and former Sprint executive, to replace Esrey.
However, a Georgia judge over the weekend issued a temporary restraining order that prevents Forsee from leaving BellSouth to replace Esrey.
A hearing on the lawsuit was scheduled for Wednesday afternoon in Atlanta.
Shares of Sprint's wireline division. FON, rose 47 cents, or just under 4 percent, at $12.83 in early trading on the New York Stock Exchange.
Shares of its wireless division, PCS, were up 29 cents, or just
under 8 percent, at $3.98.
Analysts said The Journal's report was not especially damaging to the company because there was no indication that what Esrey and LeMay did was illegal, and it did not affect Sprint's bottom line.
"There could have been accounting issues related to the company and it could have been a thousand times worse," Tim Horan, an analyst with CIBC World Markets, said.
But that "good news," said Jeff Kagan, an independent analyst based in Atlanta, was tempered by the distraction it's caused for the company.
"On top of that they don't have a CEO lined up to take the place, so there's a lot of uncertainty that swirls," Kagan said.