Most of our activities center around the various agencies that are part of the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS). DHHS is the largest grant-making agency in the federal government, providing some 60,000 grants per year. Its Medicare program is the nation's largest health insuror, handling more than 900 million claims per year.

Both the Senate and the House of Representatives have committees that oversee and fund DHHS and its various programs. The Sjögren's Syndrome Foundation advocates for appropriate funding for research agencies and provides an oversight role examining activities of other agencies.

The Sjögren's Syndrome Foundation is most concerned with monitoring and interacting with

• National Institutes of Health (NIH) -- the world's premier medical research organization, supporting some 35,000 research projects nationwide. A number of the 27 institutes and centers composing the NIH are involved with aspects of Sjögren's syndrome. Headquartered in Bethesda, MD, NIH employs 17,471 people and has a budget of $20.9 billion



• At present, the SSF is working directly with the following NIH institutes and units:
  
  
  • National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR)
  
  
  • National Eye Institute (NEI)
  
  
  • National Institute of Arthritis, Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS)
  
  
  • National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)
  
  
  • Autoimmune Diseases Coordinating Committee
  
  
  • Office on Women's Health



• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) -- provides a system of health surveillance to monitor and prevent disease outbreaks, implement disease prevention strategies, and maintain national health statistics. Headquartered in Atlanta, GA, CDC employs 8,627 people and has a budget of $3.7 billion



• Food and Drug Administration (FDA) -- assures the safety of foods and cosmetics, and the safety and efficacy of pharmaceuticals, biological products, and medical devices Headquartered in Rockville, MD, FDA employs 9,989 people and has a budget $1.3 billion



• Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) -- administers the Medicare and Medicaid programs, which provide health care to about one in every four Americans. Medicare provides health insurance for more than 39 million elderly and disabled Americans. Medicaid, a joint federal-state program, provides health coverage for more than 34 million low-income persons, including nearly 18 million children and and nursing home coverage for low-income elderly. Headquartered in Baltimore, MD, CMS employs 4,569 people ad has a budget of $374.7 billion



• Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) -- the lead agency charged with supporting research designed to improve the quality of health care, reduce its cost, improve patient safety, address medical errors, and broaden access to essential services. Headquartered in Rockville, MD, AHRQ employs 294 people and has a budget of $91 million

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