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THE WHITE HOUSE

                        Office of the Press Secretary 
                     (Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts)
______________________________________________________________________ 
For Immediate Release                                September 2, 1997 

              PRESIDENT CLINTON NAMES JEANETTE C. TAKAMURA AS 
                      ASSISTANT SECRETARY FOR AGING 
              AT THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

President Clinton announced today his intent to nominate Jeanette C. Takamura to serve as Assistant Secretary for Aging at the Department of Health and Human Services.

Dr. Jeanette C. Takamura, of Hawaii, has served since 1994 as First Deputy of Health for the Hawaii Department of Health, which has a $604 million budget and more than 3,500 employees. Dr. Takamura's responsibilities include overseeing the Department's programs and policy development, legislative strategies, information systems, district health offices, and child and adolescent mental health and alcohol and drug abuse divisions. She also provides leadership for the Department's telemedicine initiative, women's health activities, intra-agency coordination of aging, disability and long-term care programs, and efforts to address the needs of rural and under served communities. From 1987 to 1994, she was Director of the Hawaii Executive Office on Aging. Dr. Takamura is credited with the development of programs to prepare Hawaii's diverse population for an aging society, including the development of multi-generational consumer education and empowerment, long term care, Alzheimer's awareness, and pre-retirement and life planning programs. She has facilitated and provided technical assistance to Hawaii-based international geriatric research and education projects. Prior to 1987, Dr. Takamura was an Assistant Professor and the Coordinator of Gerontology Projects at the University of Hawaii School of Social Work. She was also Director of the College of Health Sciences and Social Welfare's Health Team Development Program and served on the faculty of the School of Medicine.

Dr. Takamura has served on numerous national advisory councils for private and public associations including the National Advisory Committee for the 1995 White House Conference on Aging, the Board of Directors of the National Association of State Units on Aging, and the Board of the American Society on Aging. She earned a B.A. degree and a Masters of Social Work degree from the University of Hawaii, and a Ph.D. in social policy from Brandeis University.

The Assistant Secretary for Aging provides executive level leadership in the development and implementation of policies and programs related to older Americans and oversees the Administration on Aging. The Assistant Secretary for Aging administers grants and provides direction and technical assistance to States and other grantees to promote the development of community-based assistance, including social support and nutrition services.

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