Kathleen Sebelius discusses Obamacare in Texas / AP
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) spent over $56 million on 135 conferences in one year, ranging from Head Start meetings to diversity seminars.
According to the agency’s report on conferences for fiscal year 2012, HHS spent an average of $415,784 per event.
Four conferences were devoted to the Head Start program, including the “1st National Birth to Five Leadership Institute,” a three-day conference held at the Washington Hilton for $836,521. The conference taught participants how to become Head Start leaders.
A “Head Start Research Conference” held at the Grand Hyatt in Washington, D.C., cost $1,130,000.
HHS’s Office of Refugee Resettlement hosted a $350,000 conference at the Crystal Gateway Marriott in Arlington, Va., entitled, “Transforming Hope into a Brighter Future.”
“The purpose of this meeting was to consult with various stakeholder groups to support vulnerable populations in becoming self-sufficient in the United States,” a description of the event said.
Two conferences were held on “health care in rural America” in Washington, D.C. within two months, for a total of $319,467.
Another event focused on how to “diversify the nursing workforce,” at a cost of $151,200. The “Nursing 3D: Workforce Diversity, Health Disparities, Social Determinants of Health” event was held at the North Bethesda Marriott in Maryland.
“The purpose of the summit was to convene experts, thought leaders, and key workforce diversity stakeholders to identify the full range of academic and health system factors, as well as the social, economic, and environmental determinants that influence our ability to diversify the nursing workforce,” HHS said.
