The Impact of Chronic Underfunding on America’s Public Health System: Trends, Risks, and Recommendations, 2023

This annual report tracks federal and state investment in public health and concludes that under-investment in public health programs leaves the nation less prepared for current and future health risks. One-time COVID-19 emergency funding helped control the pandemic but did not address structural weaknesses in the nation’s public health system.

The Impact of Chronic Underfunding on America’s Public Health System: Trends, Risks, and Recommendations, 2022

This annual report tracks federal, state, and local investment in public health and how underinvestment in public health programs hobbled the COVID-19 response, exacerbates health inequities, and continues to put Americans' lives and livelihoods at risk.

Pain in the Nation 2022: U.S. Experienced Highest Ever Combined Rates of Deaths Due to Alcohol, Drugs, and Suicide During the First Year of the COVID-19 Pandemic

 TFAH and Well Being Trust’s annual report found that deaths spanned ages, racial and ethnic groups, and geography but disproportionally harmed young people and people of color. Solutions are known and must be implemented.

Ready or Not 2022: Protecting the Public’s Health from Diseases, Disasters, and Bioterrorism

TFAH's Ready or Not report series provides an annual assessment of states' level of readiness to protect the public's health during emergencies. This year's report placed fewer states in the top performance tier for public health preparedness as compared to the 2021 report. The COVID-19 pandemic illustrates the critical need to invest in public health infrastructure and the social determinants of health.

Pain in the Nation Series Update: Alcohol, Drug and Suicide Deaths at Record Highs

Annual deaths due to alcohol, drugs or suicide exceeded 156,000 in 2019 and alcohol deaths were higher for every adult age group for the year.  Furthermore, preliminary data show that the COVID-19 crisis created higher rates of Americans’ mental distress, substance use, and drug overdose.

The Impact of Chronic Underfunding on America’s Public Health System: Trends, Risks, and Recommendations, 2021

Climate Change & Health: Assessing State Preparedness

This report assessed all 50 states and the District of Columbia on their level of preparedness for the health effects of climate change and found a great deal of variation in their preparedness to protect residents’ health. Some states have made significant preparations, while others have barely begun this process.

A Blueprint for the 2021 Administration and Congress

The Promise of Good Health for All: Transforming Public Health in America  

The State of Obesity 2020: Better Policies for a Healthier America

The U.S. adult obesity rate tops 40 percent; highest ever recorded. COVID-19 related food insecurity puts more Americans at risk for obesity or worsening obesity.

COVID-19 Policy Response Brief

The novel coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, emerged in late 2019 and swiftly brought about the worst global public health emergency in a century, inflicting an extraordinary toll on the lives, livelihoods, and well-being of people across the globe.