U.S. First Lady Michelle Obama has announced the release of $851 million in grants to address immediate health center facility and equipment needs and increase access to healthcare for millions of Americans. The money was made available by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009.

Boston Scientific has announced that President and CEO Jim Tobin will retire and that its board of directors has appointed Ray Elliott the new president and CEO, effective July 13.

A new digital scanning technique, developed at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), could offer a much better fit for future hearing aids, according to an article in the MIT Technology Review.

Health & Human Services Secretary (HHS) Kathleen Sebelius has reported that $6 billion in new federal funds will be made available to states and U.S. territories for fiscal year 2009 to provide healthcare to millions of children across the United States through their Children's Health Insurance Programs (CHIP).

Cappella has completed a $17.3 million series C investment, led by new investors, Fountain Healthcare Partners and Mitsui Venture Partners. Enterprise Ireland also participated in the round alongside Cappella's existing investors, Polytechnos Partners and ACT Venture Capital.

The Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, led by Chairman Edward M. Kennedy, D-Mass., introduced legislation this week advocating for more government involvement in healthcare coverage. The bill is certain to launch a drawn-out debate over the current delivery direction of healthcare in the United States when it is introduced on the Senate floor in July.

Stents coated with paclitaxel (Taxus from Boston Scientific) may be a safe, effective treatment option for coronary artery disease (CAD) patients age 70 and older, and should not be withheld due to advanced patient age, according to a study reported in the June 2 issue of Circulation: Cardiovascular Interventions.