Needham, Pamela

Domestic Council

PAMELA NEEDHAM

Assistant Director for Health, Social Security and Welfare:

Files, 1974-75

SUMMARY DESCRIPTION

Materials concerning her work on federal government legislation and policy formulation in the areas of health, social security, welfare and consumer protection.

QUANTITY

4 linear feet (ca. 8,000 pages)

DONOR

Gerald R. Ford (accession number 77-107)

ACCESS

Open. Some items are temporarily restricted under terms of the donor's deed of gift, a copy of which is available on request, or under National Archives and Records Administration general restrictions (36 CFR 1256).

COPYRIGHT

Gerald Ford has donated to the United States of America his copyrights in all of his unpublished writings in National Archives collections. The copyrights to materials written by other individuals or organizations are presumed to remain with them. Works prepared by U.S. Government employees as part of their official duties are in the public domain.

Prepared by Dale Harley Whitaker, June 1980

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INTRODUCTION

Pamela Needham came to the White House as a summer intern while attending Mount Holyoke College. Later, she returned as a member of the speech writers' research staff. Needham was promoted to Director of Research before joining the Domestic Council.

In 1973, Pamela Needham was appointed Staff Assistant for Health, Social Security and Welfare in the Human Resources area of the Domestic Council. Under the supervision of Associate Director James H. Cavanaugh, she coordinated fact‑finding analyses on health, social security and welfare issues. She attained the position of Assistant Director before departing in June 1975.

As Assistant Director, Needham assembled information, drafted issue statements and handled referrals. The memoranda, reports and publications in this collection reveal that Needham's duties also entailed reviewing proposals, arranging meetings and coordinating the flow of information between the White House staff, departments and interest groups.

Needham helped to formulate policies by conducting pre‑State of the Union investigations on welfare reform and national health insurance. The material on welfare reform exemplifies the manner in which the alternatives to domestic policies were evaluated. The memoranda indicate how Needham outlined the impact of options being considered by the Administration. The support and opposition to aspects of welfare reform policies were identified for the White House staff and the President.

Financing the social security program is the major topic in the social security files. The Advisory Council on Social Security furnished much of the background material and recommendations for revising the social security program.

Consumer issues also were assigned to Needham. She compiled information on consumer regulatory reform for the White House staff. Needham's files contain materials on a proposed legislative program for the 94th Congress aimed at improving representation of consumer interests.

There are documents in Needham's files dating from the Nixon Administration which focus on welfare reform and Aid to Families with Dependent Children. After June 1975, Sarah C. Massengale inherited Needham's duties concerning health, social security and welfare. Dawn Bennett‑Alexander assumed responsibility for consumer affairs which Needham had managed.

Related Materials (June 1980):

Related collections include White House Central Files Subject File categories HE (Health), BE (Business) and WE (Welfare). Other Domestic Council collections containing materials on topics handled by Needham include the files of Spencer Johnson, Sarah Massengale, and Dawn Bennett‑Alexander.

Series Descriptions

1‑2 Health Files, 1974-75. (0.8 linear feet)

Correspondence, memoranda, publications, reports, and proposals. These files include material on abortion, high blood pressure, health care management, and population. There are memoranda on the Population Commission and budget notes on financing research to study population growth. There also are correspondence on national health insurance and a proposal from a Health Maintenance Organization in New Jersey.

Arranged alphabetically by subject and thereunder chronologically.

3‑5 Social Security Files, 1974-75. (1.0 linear feet)

Reports, memoranda, correspondence, and publications. Topics include long‑term care in nursing homes and comments and recommendations about federal activities made by the Congressional Black Caucus. Minutes of meetings of the Advisory Council on Social Security give a review of the issues concerning the Administration.

Arranged alphabetically by subject and thereunder chronologically.

5‑7 Welfare Files, 1974-75. (0.8 linear feet)

Correspondence, memoranda, newsclippings, and talking points. These files include material on social experiments to test the effects of a negative income tax and the Income Supplement Program. The objectives of welfare reform are stated in the talking points.

Arranged alphabetically by subject and thereunder chronologically.

7‑9 General Subject Files, 1974-75. (0.8 linear feet)

Publications, news articles, handwritten notes, memoranda, and correspondence. There are various publications on Project Head Start and correspondence on proposed legislative programs to be incorporated into a Presidential Consumer Message to the Congress.

Arranged alphabetically by subject and thereunder chronologically.

9‑10 Chronological Files, 1974-75. (0.6 linear feet)

Correspondence, memoranda, talking points, referrals and responses, invitations, and schedule proposals. General topics of discussion include: consumer protection, a program proposal for farmworkers, meetings, and health (cancer, aging, and abortion). Replies to letters addressed to the President were prepared by Needham. Summaries of research on special issues are included in these files.

Arranged chronologically.

Container List

Box 1 Health Files

Abortion

American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons ‑ Committee on Injuries (Published Report)

California Hospital Association ‑ Government Regulations (Publications)

Center for Community Economic Development ‑ Title VII Program

Center for the Study of Democratic Institutions ‑ Medicine (Publications)

Citizens for the Treatment of High Blood Pressure, Inc. ‑ Publications (1)‑(3)

Department of Health, Education and Welfare Reports

Health Care Management Systems, Inc. ‑ Computer Projects (1)-(2)

Box 2 Health Files

Health Maintenance Organization Office, Morristown, NJ (1)‑(3)

National Board on Graduate Education (Publications)

National Geriatric Society (Published Report)

Population

Population Commission (1)-(2)

President's Committee on Health Education (Publication)

Box 3 Social Security Files

Actuarial Audit of the Social Security System

Advisory Council on Social Security (1)-(2)

Advisory Council on Social Security ‑ 1975 Reports (1)‑(2)

Cohen, Wilbur J. ‑ Financing Social Security

Conference on Inflation ‑ Summary, 9/19‑20/74

Congressional Black Caucus Position Statements (1)‑(2)

Box 4 Social Security Files

Congressional Black Caucus Position Statements (3)‑(5)

Department of Health, Education and Welfare Newsletter

Department of Health, Education and Welfare Organizational Structure

Domestic Council Issue Review Meeting, 12/11/74

Domestic Policy Initiatives

Federal Hospital Insurance Trust Fund ‑ Annual Report

Federal Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance Trust Funds ‑ Annual Report

Federal Supplemental Medical Insurance Trust Fund ‑ Annual Report

Historical Description of the Social Security Program

Miscellaneous

Nursing Homes ‑ Long Term Care Under Medicaid and Medicare

Senior Citizens Conference, Lake Junaluska, North Carolina, 7/22/74

Social Security Administration ‑ Annual Report, 1974

Box 5 Social Security Files

Social Security Benefits and Taxes (Published Speech)

Social Security Cash Benefits Program

Social Security Financing

Social Security for Homemakers

Social Security Legislation: Copy of Printed Bill (1)-(2)

Social Security Policy Issues

Social Security Program ‑ Problems

Box 5 Welfare Files

Aid to Families with Dependent Children

California's Blueprint for Welfare Reform

Experiments ‑ Income Maintenance/Negative Income Tax (Published Articles)

Experiments ‑ New Jersey Graduated Work Incentive (Published Reports)

Income Supplement Program (ISP)

Michigan ‑ General Correspondence

Michigan ‑ House of Representatives ‑ Welfare Reform (Published Report)

Box 6 Welfare Files

Michigan ‑ Welfare Work Incentives (Published Study)

Miscellaneous

Nathan, Richard ‑ Federal Income Security Policy

National Health Insurance and Health Maintenance Organizations

Newspaper Clippings

Supplemental Security Income ‑ Issue Paper

Tax Bill

Welfare Correspondence

Welfare Reform

Welfare Reform ‑ Background Material

Welfare Reform ‑ State of the Union Policy Issues

Welfare Reform ‑ Talking Points

Welfare Replacement

Welfare Replacement Proposal (1)

Box 7 Welfare Files

Welfare Replacement Proposal (2)

Welfare Replacement ‑ State of the Union Policy Issues

General Subject Files

Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations (Published Report)

Consumer Affairs ‑ Proposed Legislation for the 94th Congress

Consumer Message to Congress (1)-(2)

Consumer Policies

Consumer Protection

Consumer Reform

Consumer Representation Act of 1975 ‑ Options

Box 8 General Subject Files

Consumer Representation by Executive Order

Council of Economic Advisers ‑ Published Report on Economic Developments and Policies

National Health Insurance

Presidential Leadership on Consumer Issues

Project Head Start ‑ Publications (1)-(5)

Box 9 General Subject Files

Project Head Start ‑ Publications (6)

Regulatory Reform

Senate Committee on Veterans Affairs ‑ Published Congressional Reports (1)‑(3)

Chronological Files

August ‑ November 1974

Box 10 Chronological Files

December 1974 ‑ June 1975

Gerald R. Ford Library

1000 Beal Avenue, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-2114