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Site Sponsored by the Coalition of National Health Education Organizations |
| Home |
| Mission |
| Advocacy Alerts |
| Take Action |
| Legislation |
| Resources |
| Advocacy Summit |
| State Leg. Sites |
| Resolutions |
| Search the HEA |
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Advocating for Public Health Education Legislation and Health Promotion Funding |
Adult obesity rates increased in 23 states and did not decrease in a single state in the past year, according to F as in Fat: How Obesity Policies Are Failing in America 2009, a report released today by the Trust for America’s Health. In addition, the percentage of obese or overweight children is at or above 30 percent in 30 states. http://healthyamericans.org/reports/obesity2009
Applications for the APHA Public Health Fellowship in Government for 2010 are now being accepted. Deadline for submission is June 22, 2009. APHA is looking for candidates with strong public health credentials who wish to spend one year in Washington, DC working in a congressional office on legislative and policy issues related to health, the environment or other critical public health issues. Click here for more information, a flyer and application form.
Get links to federal department budgets and some specific
information on school health funding in the president's budget:
CDC/ATSDR FY 2010 President's budget total funding level: $10.1
billion, $22.5 million below FT 2009. View the CDC's budget
briefing power point presentation from the May 14, 2009 APHA
meeting.
To highlight recovery act funds that can be used to increase opportunities for physical activity and access to healthy foods, Leadership for Healthy Communities created a policy brief entitled Supporting Healthy Communities Through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. All of the recommendations in the policy brief are supported by research and accompanied by examples of how similar funds have been used to achieve healthy eating and active living objectives. The policy brief is now available at www.leadershipforhealthycommunities.org.
This year, the summit planning committee will
focus on the following specific legislative issues to address at
this conference:
• Function 550 – which provides funding for all health and education programs
• Appropriations for CDC’s
• Appropriations for
CDC’s Division of Adolescent and School Health (DASH)
• Appropriations for CDC’s REACH US program
• Promoting Prevention and Health Promotion
in any Health Reform Legislation
Recently Trust for America's Health (TFAH) released Blueprint for a Healthier America: Modernizing the Federal Public Health System to Focus on Prevention and Preparedness. This document contains recommendations for the next Administration and Congress on ways to improve the health of Americans. TFAH worked with more than 150 experts and organizations to identify gaps and fixes for federal public health agencies and programs through a year-long consensus-building process.
The goal of Community Health Status Indicators (CHSI) is to provide an overview of key health indicators for local communities and to encourage dialogue about actions that can be taken to improve a community’s health. The CHSI report was designed not only for public health professionals but also for members of the community who are interested in the health of their community. The CHSI report contains over 200 measures for each of the 3,141 United States counties. Although CHSI presents indicators like deaths due to heart disease and cancer, it is imperative to understand that behavioral factors such as tobacco use, diet, physical activity, alcohol and drug use, sexual behavior and others substantially contribute to these deaths process. http://communityhealth.hhs.gov/HomePage.aspx
This interactive website assists policymakers in making informed and sound decisions concerning wellness programs. Recognizing that governors have numerous priorities and challenges, users can weigh the relative strengths of various policy options and find the best fit for the particular circumstances that each state faces. Policies are classified according to outcomes sought and venue of intervention. Types of policies highlighted include: educating the public, altering choices, providing financial incentives and reforming policy. Venues of intervention include: individuals and families; schools and employers; the food industry; the media; and communities.
The various policies are also weighted to allow users to choose between programs according to the degrees of financial investment required. The link is http://www.subnet.nga.org/healthyamerica/guide/.
Return on Investment of More than 5 to 1; Focus on Increasing Physical Activity, Improving Nutrition, and Preventing Smoking
A small strategic investment in disease prevention could result in significant savings in U.S. health care costs, according to a new report released July 17, 2008 by the Trust for America’s Health (TFAH). In its report, entitled Prevention for a Healthier America: Investments in Disease Prevention Yield Significant Savings, Stronger Communities, TFAH finds that an investment of $10 per person per year in proven community-based programs to increase physical activity, improve nutrition, and prevent smoking and other tobacco use could save the country more than $16 billion annually within five years. This is a return of $5.60 for every $1.
Out of the $16 billion, Medicare could save more than $5 billion, Medicaid could save more than $1.9 billion, and private payers could save more than $9 billion.
The economic findings are based on a model developed by researchers at the Urban Institute and a review of evidence-based studies conducted by the New York Academy of Medicine. They found that many effective prevention programs cost less than $10 per person, and that these programs have delivered results in lowering rates of diseases that are related to physical activity, nutrition, and smoking. The evidence shows that implementing these programs in communities reduce rates of type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure by 5 percent within 2 years; reduce heart disease, kidney disease, and stroke by 5 percent within 5 years; and reduce some forms of cancer, arthritis, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease by 2.5 percent within 10 to 20 years.
The report was supported by grants from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and The California Endowment. The full report, which also includes national estimates for savings for two years and 10 to 20 years and state-by-state findings, is available on TFAH’s Web site, www.healthyamericans.org.
WASHINGTON, D.C. Most registered voters say our health care system needs real change and that federal research agencies need more funding, according to public opinion data released today by Research! America, the Albert and Mary Lasker Foundation and other partners. The poll is part of Your Congress?Your Health, an ambitious new initiative aimed at sparking dialogue between Congress and their constituents on health and research issues. This interactive tool presents responses from Congress at www.yourcongressyourhealth.org, allowing visitors to compare the views of their delegation.
The Health Education Advocate has a new discussion forum available for use by health educators from around the country. You can use this forum to engage other health educators from around the country in national, state, and local advocacy initiatives!
E-mail advocacy updates to
Jim Grizzell
jvgrizzell@csupomona.edu
