Issue Category: Prevention and Public Health Policy

Over 110 Organizations Call on Senate to Oppose Cuts to Prevention Fund

(Washington, DC – September 20, 2023) – Trust for America’s Health, American Public Health Association, Association of Public Health Laboratories, Big Cities Health Coalition, Campaign for Tobacco-free Kids, Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists, National Association of County and City Health Officials, and more than 100 other organizations representing public health, healthcare, research, social services, and other sectors, today released a letter to the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee opposing a committee proposal to cut $980 million from the Prevention & Public Health Fund (“the Prevention Fund”) to pay for other health legislation.

The Prevention Fund is a critical source of funding for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other agencies across Health and Human Services. The Prevention Fund invests in states and communities across the nation to strengthen systems and the workforce that allow us to provide immunizations, detect and control outbreaks, and prevent illness and early deaths from tobacco and chronic diseases. It supports activities outside one’s doctor’s office – separate and distinct from individual health concerns and treatments.

In an already challenging budget environment, this would further endanger the health of Americans. These cuts would impact not only health programs, but also labor and education, as it will leave a significant gap in base appropriations for the Labor-HHS-Education spending bill that will need to be backfilled. This pay-for has far reaching consequences for all ofthe  programs that fall under the spending bill’s purview.

The letter in part reads:

“The nation can no longer afford to underfund public health…. Despite spending more than any other high-income nation on treating disease, the U.S. has substantially worse health outcomes, with life expectancy declining in recent years. Now is the time to invest in public health and prevention…

Cuts to the Prevention Fund will translate into funding shortfalls in programs that states have long relied upon to keep their residents healthy and safe. In its first 14 years (FY2010–23), the Prevention Fund has invested more than $12.3 billion in resources to states, localities, and tribal and community organizations in support of critical prevention and public health programs. These investments include the 317 immunization program that enables prevention of outbreaks, epidemiologists and public health laboratory grants in every state and territory to detect and investigate outbreaks and prevent further infections, the Preventive Health and Health Services (Prevent) Block Grant that enables states and localities to address their most pressing health concerns, supporting cancer screenings, and other critically important programs. Across the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the Prevention Fund supports programs such as suicide prevention, Alzheimer’s disease prevention, and chronic disease self-management.

Funding prevention not only saves lives, but it also saves money. The Prevention Fund’s Tips from Former Smokers Campaign alone saved an estimated $7.3 billion in smoking-related healthcare costs from 2012 to 2018 and helped more than one million Americans quit smoking for good. Public health funding has not kept up with the range of threats that public health must address. For many of these conditions, we know what works, but public health does not have the resources to address these growing health threats.”

The full text of the letter is linked here.

Information about the Prevention and Public Health Fund can be found here.

Organizations Joining the Letter:

ADAP Advocacy

American Academy of Pediatrics

American Association on Health and Disability

American College of Clinical Pharmacy

American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists

American College of Physicians

American College of Preventive Medicine

American College of Sports Medicine

American Heart Association

American Lung Association

American Public Health Association

American Society for Microbiology

American Society on Aging

American Statistical Association

Association for Prevention Teaching and Research

Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology

Association of American Medical Colleges

Association of Immunization Managers

Association of Maternal & Child Health Programs

Association of Pathology Chairs

Association of Public Health Laboratories

Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health

Association of State and Territorial Health Officials

Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America

Big Cities Health Coalition

CAEAR Coalition

Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids

Center for Advocacy for the Rights and Interests of Elders (CARIE)

Children’s Environmental Health Network

Christian Council of Delmarva

City-County Health District

Colorado Public Health Association

Community Access National Network

Connecticut Public Health Association

Cook County Department of Public Health

Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists

Dorchester County Health Department

Early Impact Virginia

Endocrine Society

Eta Sigma Gamma

Foundation for Healthy Generations

Futures Without Violence

GLMA: Health Professionals Advancing LGBTQ+ Equality

GO2 for Lung Cancer

Green & Healthy Homes Initiative, Inc

Health Promotion Consultants

Healthy Weight Partnership Inc.

HIV Medicine Association

HLN Consulting, LLC

Illinois Society for the Prevention of Blindness

Immunize.org

Institute for Public Health Innovation

International WELL Building Institute

Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security

Kansas Breastfeeding Coalition

Kentucky Voices for Health

Kids and Car Safety

Lakeshore Foundation

Linn County Public Health

Maine Public Health Association

March of Dimes

Marked By Covid

MaryCatherine Jones Consulting, LLC

Mel Leaman Free Clinic

Mental Health America

Minnesota Public Health Association

NASTAD

National Alliance of Public Health Students and Alums

National Association of Chronic Disease Directors

National Association of County and City Health Officials

National Association of Social Workers

National Center for Healthy Housing

National Center on Domestic and Sexual Violence

National Network of Public Health Institutes

National Nurse-Led Care Consortium

National Prevention Science Coalition

Nemours Children’s Health

New Jersey Public Health Association

New York State Public Health Association

Oregon Coalition of Local Health Officials

Peggy Lillis Foundation

Pennsylvania Public Health Association

Population Association of America

Prevent Blindness

Prevent Blindness Georgia

Prevent Blindness Ohio

Prevent Blindness Wisconsin

Prevent Child Abuse America

Prevention Institute

Public Health Foundation

Public Health Institute

Redstone Global Center for Prevention and Wellness

Resolve to Save Lives

RiverStone Health

Safe States Alliance

Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America

Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine

Society for Public Health Education

Society for Women’s Health Research

Sound Generations

Sound Generations – Project Enhance

Spina Bifida Association

Task Force for Global Health

The 317 Coalition

The Foundation for Sustainable Communities

The Gerontological Society of America

Trust for America’s Health

USAging

Vaccinate Your Family

Voices for Vaccines

Washington State Association of Local Public Health Officials

Washington State Public Health Association

Well-Being and Equity in the World

Wisconsin Public Health Association

YMCA of the USA

 

 

 

TFAH Statement on the Braidwood Management v. Becerra Case

 

(Washington, DC – March 30, 2023) – Trust for America’s Health (TFAH) is deeply concerned about the recent ruling in the Braidwood Management v. Becerra case. This decision could restrict millions of Americans’ access to free preventive services that save lives and reduce healthcare costs. As a non-partisan public health policy, research, and advocacy organization dedicated to health promotion and disease prevention, we know the evidence shows that access to prevention is critical for the health and well-being of individuals and families. Coverage of preventive services without patient cost sharing means doctors detect cancers earlier. It means people get the help they need to quit smoking, families receive obesity prevention counseling, and health care providers can screen for behavioral health concerns like depression. Research shows that out-of-pocket costs are a barrier for people to receive life-saving preventive services, and they are an important tool for reducing health disparities. Our nation spends trillions of dollars on treating disease, but only a small fraction of those dollars are used to prevent people from getting sick in the first place. If this decision stands, it will be a step backward for the goal of achieving optimal health for every person and community.

 

 

 

COVID-19 and Drug Overdose Deaths Drive U.S. Life Expectancy Down

(Washington, DC – January 17, 2023) — Data released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in December 2022 showed that U.S. life expectancy decreased from 77 years in 2020 to 76.4 years in 2021, the second consecutive year that U.S. life expectancy decreased. The last time the U.S. experienced a two-year decrease in life expectancy was during World War II.

Age-specific death rates from 2020 to 2021 increased for all age groups other than infants less than one year old. American Indian and Alaska Native females experienced the largest increase in death rates, jumping 7.3 percent in 2021. Lower life expectancy for some populations groups, disproportionately among people of color, have been attributed to the structural inequities and barriers to optimal health that those communities experience.

Heart disease remained the leading cause of death in the U.S. during 2021 followed by cancer and COVID-19. In addition, drug overdose accounted for over a third of all unintentional deaths. During 2021, 106,699 people died in the U.S. due to a drug overdose, a 14 percent increase in the overdose death rate over 2020.

“These data underscore the importance of TFAH’s work to advance public health, prevention, and health equity,” said TFAH President and CEO J. Nadine Gracia, MD, MSCE. “The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the impact of social and economic conditions on people’s health and a community’s ability to be resilient during an emergency. TFAH will remain steadfast in advocating for policies that promote optimal health and well-being for every person and community. Among our priorities are supporting policies and programs that will strengthen the nation’s public health workforce and data systems; investment in substance misuse and suicide prevention including school-based mental health services and primary prevention programs; increased investments in chronic disease prevention programs including obesity prevention; and addressing the social determinants of health.”

Learn more about the causes of declining U.S. life expectancy in this TFAH issue brief: U.S. Experienced Steepest Two-year Decline in Life Expectancy in a Century – TFAH

For more on TFAH’s recommendations to improve the nation’s emergency preparedness: Ready or Not 2022: Protecting the Public’s Health from Diseases, Disasters, and Bioterrorism – TFAH

For more on TFAH’s recommendations on needed investments in the nation’s public health system: The Impact of Chronic Underfunding on America’s Public Health System: Trends, Risks, and Recommendations, 2022 – TFAH

For more on TFAH’s recommendations on addressing the nation’s drug, alcohol and suicide crisis: 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

For more on TFAH’s recommendations to address the nation’s obesity crisis: State of Obesity 2022: Better Policies for a Healthier America – TFAH

TFAH’s Portal of COVID-19 Resources

The following is a list of TFAH resources and documents related to the novel coronavirus read of COVID-19 and better equip the nation’s public health system to deal with this and future health emergencies.

Press Releases and Statements

20 Public Health Organizations Condemn Herd Immunity Scheme for Controlling Spread of SARS-CoV-2   The virus that causes COVID-19 has infected at least 7.8 million people in the United States and 38 million worldwide. It has led to over 215,000 deaths domestically, and more than 1 million globally – with deaths continuing to climb… read more (October 14, 2020)

Newly Announced Order for Hospitals to Bypass CDC and Send Coronavirus Patient Information Directly to Washington Database Likely to Worsen Pandemic Response Rather than Improve It  The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), as the nation’s lead public health agency, is uniquely qualified to collect, analyze and disseminate information regarding infectious diseases… read more (July 16, 2020)

Nearly 350 Public Health Organizations Implore HHS Secretary Azar to Support CDC’s Critical Role in the COVID-19 Pandemic Response  The expertise of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and all public health agencies is critical to protecting Americans’ health during the COVID-19 crisis, said a letter to Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar from 347 health and public health organizations released today… read more (July 7, 2020)

Public Health Needs Our Support “As our nation’s struggles to manage the continued surge of COVID-19 cases, we need to strengthen the public health response… read more (June 23, 2020)

Summary of CDC Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report on COVID-19 Impact Patterns This is the first data reported on U.S. patients and is consistent with findings from other countries. Key takeaways… read more (March 31, 2020)

Trust for America’s Health Statement in Response to Congressional Passage of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (“CARES Act”)
“Congress took an important step today to begin giving public health the resources it needs now to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. We are seeing in real-time the impact of the chipping away at public health budgets over the past 15 years… read more (March 27, 2020)

Cross-Sector Group of Eighty-eight Organizations Calls on Congress to Address Americans’ Mental Health and Substance Misuse Treatment Needs as Part of COVID-19 Response
A cross-sector group of 88 organizations from the mental health and substance misuse, public health and patient-advocacy sectors are jointly calling on the Trump Administration and Congress to address the immediate and long term mental health and substance misuse treatment needs of all Americans as part of their COVID-19 response… read more (March 20, 2020)

55 Organizations Call for Passage and Fast Implementation of Paid Sick Leave for all Workers as a Critical Part of COVID-19 Response
A cross-sector group of 55 public health, health, labor, business, and social policy organizations are jointly calling on the Trump Administration and Congress to pass and quickly implement a federal paid sick leave law that provides 14 days of such leave to all workers, available immediately… read more (March 13, 2020)

TFAH Applauds Passage of Supplemental Funding for COVID-19 Response: Now Funding Must Move Quickly to States and Other Entities
TFAH applauds Congress’ fast action in approving the Coronavirus Preparedness and Response Supplemental Appropriations Act (H.R 6074). We now call on the tasked federal agencies to move quickly to send the appropriated monies to the agencies and localities working at the frontlines of the COVID-19 crisis… read more (March 5, 2020)

TFAH Statement on COVID-19 Preparations
Now that the U.S. has transitioned from the planning phase to the response phase of the COVID-19 outbreak, the Federal Executive Branch and Congress as well as state and local governments and other stakeholders should prioritize… read more (March 3, 2020)

Congressional Testimony and Sign-on Letters

Commentaries and Op-Eds

Additional News Coverage We Recommend

Coronavirus in the U.S.: Latest Map and Case Count

as compiled by the New York Times

 

 

CDC COVID-19 Information Resources

COVID-19 and Response: Webinars and Briefings

Related Reports