Press Release on health-related topics.
“A coalition of national organizations representing public health, healthcare providers, biotechnology companies, and researchers this week urged congressional leaders to swiftly approve the Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness and Advancing Innovation (PAHPAI) Act of 2018 before Congress adjourns for the year.”
December 7, 2018
By Deborah Quilter
nextavenue
“A report says innovative solutions are needed to better serve older adults.”
Washington, DC and Oakland, CA – Nationally, deaths due to drug overdose and suicide increased last year according to data released today by the National Centers for Health Statistics at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and analyzed by Trust for America’s Health (TFAH) and Well Being Trust (WBT).
In 2017, 70,237 Americans died from drug overdoses, a rate of 21.7 deaths per 100,000 people. In comparison, 63,600 Americans died of drug overdoses in 2016, a rate of 19.8 deaths per 100,000. Nationally, the 2017 rate was 9.6 percent higher than the 2016 rate.
In 2017, 47,173 Americans died by suicide. Suicide accounted for 14.0 deaths per 100,000 in 2017, up from 13.5 deaths per 100,000 in 2016— a 3.7 percent increase. Between 1999 and 2017, the age-adjusted suicide rate increased 33 percent from 10.5 per 100,000 deaths to 14.0 per 100,000.
According to TFAH’s and WBT’s analysis:
“Just one person dying from a preventable cause is one death too many,” said Benjamin F. Miller, Psy.D., Chief Strategy Officer, WBT. “Evidence provides clear ways to more proactively address issues of substance misuse and help build resiliency in our communities, but, our country has not yet prioritized investing in prevention and intervention. If we continue to fail to put dollars and common sense into a systematic approach to prevention and treatment, we’ll never ensure optimal health and well-being for our nation.”
In addition, the analysis found that, while the number of drug overdose deaths continue to be historically and tragically high nationwide, the epidemic continues to have a differential impact in some population groups, comparing 2016 to 2017:
“Another year of increasing numbers of drug overdose deaths is a national emergency, that can’t be overstated,” said John Auerbach, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Trust for America’s Health. “Government and the healthcare sector at all levels must adopt a comprehensive approach and strengthen efforts to prevent substance misuse and suicide attempts by addressing their underlying causes. We face a crisis that requires a multi-faceted response and the skills of the public health sector.”
Last year, TFAH and WBT released Pain in the Nation: The Drug, Alcohol and Suicides Epidemics and the Need for a National Resilience Strategy, which included recommendations for evidence-based policies and programs that federal, state, and local officials should put in place or extend to address drug misuse and save lives. These recommendations include:
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Trust for America’s Health is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that promotes optimal health for every person and community and makes the prevention of illness and injury a national priority
Well Being Trust is a national foundation dedicated to advancing the mental, social, and spiritual health of the nation. Created to include participation from organizations across sectors and perspectives, Well Being Trust is committed to innovating and addressing the most critical mental health challenges facing America, and to transforming individual and community well-being. www.wellbeingtrust.org. Twitter: @WellBeingTrust
Gail C. Christopher, D.N. Heather C. McGhee, J.D.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: November 14, 2018
Health Equity Leaders, Dr. Gail Christopher and Heather McGhee, Co-Host Webinar on the Impact of Racism on Health Outcomes and the Importance of Individual and Organizational Leadership in Efforts to Overcome Racist Beliefs
WASHINGTON, DC – Dr. Gail C. Christopher and daughter, Heather C. McGhee, two of the country’s most acclaimed social justice and health equity advocates, shared their insights on the impact of racism on health outcomes during a November 1 Trust for America’s Health (TFAH) webinar entitled: Creating Change Through Leadership: Two Extraordinary Leaders, a Mother and Daughter, Share their Experiences Promoting Racial Equity
“We have a moment in history where fear is driving levels of division and actual hatred that are unprecedented in my adult lifetime. It makes us want to step away from this work. But more than ever we have to step into this work. We have to do it from a place not of animus and not of incivility but from a place of engagement, engagement for ourselves and for future generations.” – Dr. Gail Christopher
“I strongly believe that we do ourselves a disservice when we pretend that addressing racism is only or even primarily for the benefit of people of color. The creation of this belief of racial hierarchy was something that fundamentally distorted not just the life experiences of people of color, but white people as well.” – Heather McGhee
Listen to the entire series here: Taking Action to Promote Health Equity – Using the Lessons from Cutting-Edge Practices to Improve Health and Well Being
FOR RELEASE: November 13, 2018
Public Health Leaders from 37 Florida Counties Participate in Planning Forum
Washington, DC — Trust for America’s Health (TFAH) is pleased to announce the launch of the Florida Age-Friendly Public Health Collaborative and Action Network. Working directly with the Florida Department of Health and with generous funding from The John A. Hartford Foundation, the collaborative and action network will help Florida’s local health departments improve the health and well-being of older adults. During the launch with representatives of Florida’s 37 participating counties, TFAH President and CEO John Auerbach called this effort “a historic moment in public health and a crucial collaboration between the public health and aging sectors.”
There is growing momentum for public health to contribute to programs, policies, and innovative interventions to promote health as people age. Although public health efforts are partly responsible for the dramatic increases in longevity over the 20th Century, historically, there have been limited collaborations across the health and aging fields.
“Longevity and our growing older adult population is a remarkable success story, and it requires all sectors of society to prepare,” said Terry Fulmer, PhD, RN, FAAN, President of The John A. Hartford Foundation. “I’ve been extremely impressed with Florida’s commitment and creativity in pro-actively getting ahead of the curve, so that age-friendly public health solutions are in place for the state and as a model for the entire country.”
“Florida is excited about the opportunity to work with TFAH to advance age-friendly public health,” said Florida’s State Surgeon General Dr. Celeste Philip. “Addressing the needs of older populations is an important aspect of promoting health equity and the Department is committed to ensuring that every Floridian has the opportunity to be healthy in every stage of their life. The counties participating in this project represent two-thirds of our population, but we know that all our citizens will benefit from the policies and best practices this partnership will develop.”
Demographic changes now underway are spurring an urgency among all sectors and professions to focus on the comprehensive needs of our aging society. In 1900, about three million Americans—about four percent of the total population—were aged 65 and over. By 2014, that number had risen to 46 million—about 15 percent of the population. The oldest members of the baby-boomer generation turned 65 in 2011, launching a rapid increase in the number of older adults that will continue indefinitely—by 2030, about one in five Americans will be 65 or older.
In October 2017, TFAH brought together 30 experts in public health, aging, research, and policy to explore whether and how public health could contribute to the health of older adults. Convening participants all agreed that public health could play many unique and important roles in healthy aging and developed a Framework for Creating an Age-Friendly Public Health System to advance public health’s role at the local, state, and national levels.
Through the Florida Age-Friendly Public Health Network, TFAH is identifying and sharing case studies and best practices, developing tools and training resources, and offering expert technical assistance based on the variety of needs of Florida’s diverse communities. More than half of Florida’s local health departments have already identified issue areas that could be strengthened via the collaborative, including emergency preparedness, social isolation, chronic disease management, transportation, and housing. TFAH looks forward to sharing the results of this initiative with public health stakeholders and policymakers, and to work with state and national partners to advance the work nation-wide.
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Trust for America’s Health is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that promotes optimal health for every person and community and makes the prevention of illness and injury a national priority. WWW.tfah.org
The John A. Hartford Foundation, based in New York City, is a private, nonpartisan, national philanthropy dedicated to improving the care of older adults. The leader in the field of aging and health, the Foundation has three priority areas: creating age-friendly health systems, supporting family caregivers, and improving serious illness and end-of-life care. For more information, visit johnahartford.org and follow @johnahartford.
TFAH’s Fall 2018 4-part webinar series, Taking Action to Promote Health Equity – Using the Lessons from Cutting-Edge Practices to Improve Health and Well Being, features national public health practitioners and community leaders sharing their experiences shaping and executing programs to increase health equity in their communities. The webinar series is designed to inform a broad, national audience about compelling and replicable health equity initiatives and how to address the grass roots issues that will impact their success. The programs you will learn about via this series are transferable to diverse communities – large or small, urban or rural, with substantial or minimal resources.
The series is made possible through funding from The California Endowment, the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. TFAH Executive Vice President and COO, Dr. J. Nadine Gracia, is the series moderator.
Segment 1 – Lessons Learned from The California Endowment’s Building Healthy Communities Project
Segment 2 – Show Me the Money – Innovative Funding
Segment 3 – Breaking Out of the Box – Innovative Collaborations
Oct. 3, 2018
By Vinu Ilakkuvan and Anne de Biasi
Urban Institute “Pay For Success” blog
“From opioid misuse to diabetes to asthma, many health conditions and risk factors are rooted in a common set of social and structural determinants of health. Addressing these determinants requires working across sectors.”
Sept. 12, 2018
“Unfortunately, the best wake-up call is when a tragedy occurs,” said Dara Lieberman, senior government relations manager at the Trust for America’s Health, a nonprofit. “Hopefully, nursing facilities and emergency managers paid attention to the loss of life in the long-term care facility in Florida last year and realize the risks they face by not preparing. Every facility should have a plan.”
View the full story (some sites require registration)
September 26, 2018 — Trust for America’s Health (TFAH) applauds Congress for today’s passage of the FY19 Labor-HHS-Education Appropriations bill, which includes a $126 million increase for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). By completing the bill before the end of the fiscal year, Congress is ensuring that state and local health departments and other grantees can continue their critical work protecting the public’s health without fear of gaps in their grant cycles.
The now passed FY19 funding will enable CDC to continue its important work helping communities prepare for natural disasters and other emergencies, as is happening now in the aftermath of Hurricane Florence. The appropriations include a small increase to enable communities to continue working to address health disparities through the Racial and Ethnic Approaches to Community Health (REACH) program. It also continues funding focused on environmental health, and for the CDC’s critical work addressing the substance misuse crisis.
“By working together on a bipartisan basis Congress has provided a much-needed funding increase to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This increase is an important down payment on the investment required to ensure the public health system is fully prepared to tackle the health threats facing the nation,” said John Auerbach, TFAH’s President and CEO.
For years we have underfunded our nation’s public health system, which only leads to increased healthcare spending when illness and injury occur. According to TFAH’s report, A Funding Crisis for Public Health and Safety, core funding for disease prevention and health promotion programs has declined by approximately $580 million federally and has remained flat in states since 2010.
“The country needs a long-term commitment to rebuilding the nation’s public health capacity. Not just to filling some of the more dangerous gaps, but to ensuring that all communities are prepared and resilient when emergencies happen. TFAH hopes that Congress will work together again next year to raise the budget caps which kept critically important health spending at levels below those of fiscal year 2010,” Auerbach said.
Earlier this year, Auerbach testified before the House Labor-HHS Appropriations Committee about the importance of public health funding. His testimony can be found here.
(Washington, DC and Oakland, Calif., July 2) – A new web-based blueprint designed to help communities deal with the drug, alcohol and suicide crises launched today.
In November of 2017, Trust for America’s Health (TFAH) and Well Being Trust (WBT) released Pain in the Nation: The Drug, Alcohol and Suicide Crises and the Need for a National Resilience Strategy. The report detailed the growing number of “despair deaths” – deaths due to drug and alcohol misuse and suicide – and more than 60 evidence-based programs proven to help fight contributing factors and save lives.
This companion piece, the Pain in the Nation: National Resilience Strategy website, will help policy-makers and community leaders access critical data and prevention-oriented programs and policies – including promotion of responsible opioid prescribing practices, enforcement of underage drinking laws, and anti-bullying and social-emotional learning programs in schools, among others. The website also provides state level data on how the drug, alcohol and suicide crises are impacting lives across the country and includes case studies describing community and school-based prevention programs that work.
“The numbers of these deaths are staggering and tragic. They are also preventable,” says John Auerbach, president and CEO of Trust for America’s Health. “As a nation, we need to apply what we know about prevention to address the root causes of this epidemic of substance abuse and suicide. The time to act is now.”
According to the Trust for America’s Health and the Well Being Trust, a National Resilience Strategy must be comprehensive and focused at both the crisis intervention level and on early identification of and action on the causes of poor mental and physical health. The Pain in the Nation: National Resilience Strategy website provides a high-level roadmap for communities to tackle these difficult issues.
“To better support the conditions that can prevent these deaths of despair, we must intervene at the source and look at the issue through a more comprehensive systems lens,” says Benjamin F. Miller, Psy.D., Chief Strategy Officer, Well Being Trust. “While closing the treatment gap is important, we’ll never get there if we don’t also focus on closing the prevention gap – by increasing attention on adverse childhood experiences, chronic stress, food deserts and all the additional health inequities across geographies and demographics.”
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Trust for America’s Health is a non-profit, non-partisan organization that promotes optimal health for every person and community and makes the prevention of illness and injury a national priority. Twitter: @HealthyAmerica1
Well Being Trust is a national foundation dedicated to advancing the mental, social and spiritual health of the nation. Created to include participation from organizations across sectors and perspectives, Well Being Trust is committed to innovating and addressing the most critical mental health challenges facing America, and to transforming individual and community wellness. http://wellbeingtrust.org/. Twitter: @WellBeingTrust
