The New Prevention Fund

Washington and the New Prevention Fund:
An Investment in the Future Health of America

The Affordable Care Act (ACA) included the creation of a Prevention Fund – to provide communities around the country with more than $16 billion over the next 10 years to invest in effective, provide prevention efforts, like childhood obesity prevention and tobacco cessation.

Washington is receiving 14180026 from the Prevention Fund this year to reduce disease rates in the state and help ensure today’s children are not the first generation in U.S. history to live shorter, less healthy lives than their parent.

Preventing disease and injury is the most effective, common-sense way to improve health in the United States. Too often, however, we focus on treating disease and injury after they occur instead of preventing them – providing sick care instead of health care.

The ACA and the Prevention Fund give us the opportunity to turn that around – and provides the opportunity for all Americans to be as healthy as they can be.

Prevention Fund Grants Amount Description
Communities Putting Prevention to Work $25.5 Million*
  • Seattle adopted policies that protect over 127,000 teens (ages 12-17) from exposure to tobacco through electronic smoking devices and unregulated nicotine delivery products. The policies restrict the sales of e-cigarettes or any other unapproved nicotine delivery products to people 18 and older; prohibit free or highly discounted electronic smoking devices or unapproved nicotine delivery products, and prohibit the use of e-cigarette devices in places where smoking is prohibited by law.
  • Seattle’s Healthy Foods Here brings fresh produce and other healthy options to corner stores, mini-marts, convenience stores, and other locations in 20 low-income target neighborhoods. As a result of this initiative, an estimated 650,000 residents will have greater access to healthy foods.
  • In March 2011, King County’s Renton School District began installing the nation’s first digital menu boards that will provide nutritional information for students and staff. The menu boards will have symbols designed by students participating in the newly formed Student Nutrition Council with representatives from three high schools to identify menu items providing high levels of specific nutrients. The menu boards will be installed in three middle and three high schools to impact over 7,000 students.
  • The Seattle Housing Authority was awarded a CPPW grant, funded by Public Health Seattle and King County, to implement smoke-free policies in at least 3,500 units. A comprehensive no-smoking policy could be implemented all at once or in phases. The Housing Authority will implement policies with a minimum six-month transition period of staff training, support for tobacco cessation through referrals and support groups, and resident meetings at communities and buildings. A smoke-free policy in 3,500 units will reach around 10,500 residents at the Housing Authority.
  • Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender (LGBT) people show some of the highest smoking prevalence rates of all disproportionately affected populations. Gay City Health Project in Seattle has partnered with One Degree Events to help lessen the influence of Big Tobacco and provide smoking cessation resources for companies and non-profits at PrideFest 2011, the largest LGBT pride festival in America. PrideFest anticipates over 70,000 attendees and in order to be a festival vendor, one must implement Tobacco Prevention Policies or demonstrate the existence of such policies. Thus far, 80 businesses and organizations have registered to be vendors at PrideFest and agreed to implement or demonstrate Tobacco Prevention and Control Policies in their operations. For more information visit: http://www.seattlepridefest.org/vendors/vendor-pricing-rules.htm.
  • Due to CPPW funding, 70,000 SNAP recipients and 20,000 WIC clients living in south King County will be able to use their benefits at 11 south-end farmers markets. King County Department of Natural Resources and Parks used CPPW funding to provide needed EBT equipment and training to managers and vendors in the following markets: Auburn International, Burien, Clean Greens, Columbia City, Des Moines, Federal Way, Georgetown, Kent, Madrona, Maple Valley, and Renton. The State Department of Health is training farmers on how to accept monthly WIC fruit/vegetable checks, and completing contracts with them. So far 45 farmers have been trained.
  • Mapping our Voices for Equality (MOVE) is a digital media and health initiative staffed by several Seattle-area non-profits with funding from CPPW. Videos by South Seattle residents on nutrition and health are featured in an innovative digital storytelling public campaign that uses online mapping and collaboration with Seattle neighborhood groups. Overall, grantee-generated communications will reach 100,000 residents in the focus communities.
Public Health Infrastructure Washington State Department of Health $299,981 (FY10) $400,000 (FY11) Awarded to state, tribal, local and territorial health departments to improve their ability to provide public health services. The 5-year cooperative agreement program will provide health departments with needed resources to make fundamental changes in their organizations and practices, so that they can improve the delivery of public health services including: Building and implementing capacity within health departments for evaluating the effectiveness of their organizations, practices, partnerships, programs and use of resources through performance management; Expansion and training of public health staff and community leaders to conduct policy activities in key areas and to facilitate improvements in system efficiency; Maximizing the public health system to improve networking, coordination, and cross-jurisdictional cooperation for the delivery of public health services to address resource sharing and improve health indicators; Disseminating, implementing and evaluating public health’s best and most promising practices; and Building a national network of performance improvement managers that share best practices for improving the public health system.
Epidemiology and Laboratory Capacity for Infectious Diseases 510,120 (FY10); $663,520 (FY11) The funding, which is provided through Epidemiology and Laboratory Capacity for Infectious Diseases (ELC) and the Emerging Infections Program (EIP) cooperative agreements, is intended to increase epidemiology, laboratory and health information systems capacity at health departments. The award is to support: hiring and training of epidemiologists, laboratory scientists, and health information specialists who can work on multiple infectious diseases; increasing the number of modern, well-equipped public health laboratories using electronic laboratory information systems to manage and exchange information effectively between labs and public health departments; and developing capacity for public health departments to participate in meaningful use of electronic health records, e.g. through implementation of electronic laboratory-based reporting according to national standards.
ARRA evaluation (Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System) N/A Grants awarded intended to help states “create additional tobacco quitters,” as well as increase data collection efforts for tracking flu-like illnesses to support ongoing pandemic influenza preparedness activities.
HIV Laboratory 104993 CDC awarded grants to expand HIV prevention efforts under the President’s National HIV/AIDS Strategy (NHAS).  The funding, allocated to CDC by the President as part of NHAS, will help to further focus HIV prevention on high risk populations and communities, as well as fill critical gaps in data, knowledge and understanding of the epidemic. The majority of the grants will support demonstration projects to identify and implement a “combination approach” to enhance effective HIV prevention programming in 12 hard-hit areas across the country.  These efforts will determine what mix of HIV prevention approaches can have the greatest impact in the local area, supplementing existing programs in these communities and helping jurisdictions to better focus efforts on key at-risk populations and fulfill unmet needs. Grants went to state and local health departments to increase HIV testing opportunities for populations disproportionately affected by HIV and help link HIV-infected persons with appropriate services, as well as to improve the reporting of HIV data.
HIV Testing N/A CDC awarded grants to expand HIV prevention efforts under the President’s National HIV/AIDS Strategy (NHAS).  The funding, allocated to CDC by the President as part of NHAS, will help to further focus HIV prevention on high risk populations and communities, as well as fill critical gaps in data, knowledge and understanding of the epidemic. The majority of the grants will support demonstration projects to identify and implement a “combination approach” to enhance effective HIV prevention programming in 12 hard-hit areas across the country.  These efforts will determine what mix of HIV prevention approaches can have the greatest impact in the local area, supplementing existing programs in these communities and helping jurisdictions to better focus efforts on key at-risk populations and fulfill unmet needs. Grants went to state and local health departments to increase HIV testing opportunities for populations disproportionately affected by HIV and help link HIV-infected persons with appropriate services, as well as to improve the reporting of HIV data.
HIV Planning $0 CDC awarded grants to expand HIV prevention efforts under the President’s National HIV/AIDS Strategy (NHAS).  The funding, allocated to CDC by the President as part of NHAS, will help to further focus HIV prevention on high risk populations and communities, as well as fill critical gaps in data, knowledge and understanding of the epidemic. The majority of the grants will support demonstration projects to identify and implement a “combination approach” to enhance effective HIV prevention programming in 12 hard-hit areas across the country.  These efforts will determine what mix of HIV prevention approaches can have the greatest impact in the local area, supplementing existing programs in these communities and helping jurisdictions to better focus efforts on key at-risk populations and fulfill unmet needs. Grants went to state and local health departments to increase HIV testing opportunities for populations disproportionately affected by HIV and help link HIV-infected persons with appropriate services, as well as to improve the reporting of HIV data.
Emerging Infections Program $0 The funding, which is provided through Epidemiology and Laboratory Capacity for Infectious Diseases (ELC) and the Emerging Infections Program (EIP) cooperative agreements, is intended to increase epidemiology, laboratory and health information systems capacity at health departments. The award is to support: hiring and training of epidemiologists, laboratory scientists, and health information specialists who can work on multiple infectious diseases; increasing the number of modern, well-equipped public health laboratories using electronic laboratory information systems to manage and exchange information effectively between labs and public health departments; and developing capacity for public health departments to participate in meaningful use of electronic health records, e.g. through implementation of electronic laboratory-based reporting according to national standards.
Capacity Building Grants N/A Money awarded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will go to various national, non-profit professional public health organizations to support efforts by state, tribal, local and territorial health departments to ensure successful adoption of effective practices that strengthen core public health infrastructure investments. These national public health organizations will provide technical assistance, training, and information for health departments to improve their public health infrastructure and the delivery of public health services.
Tobacco Prevention 84,288 (FY10); CDC Tobacco Quitlines $119,408 (FY11) State Supplemental Funding for Healthy Communities will be used to help states implement plans to reduce tobacco use through legislative, regulatory, and educational arenas, as well as enhance and expand the national network of tobacco cessation quitlines to significantly increase the number of tobacco users who quit. Money will also support states and terrritories enhance and expand the national network of tobacco cessation quitlines to increase the number of tobacco users who quit. Quitlines are hte toll-free numbers people can call to obtain smoking cessation treatments and services.
Health Care Surveillance $0 Grants to fund data collection and analysis to monitor the impact of the Affordable Care Act on the health of Americans and boost the collection and analysis of environmental hazards data to protect the health of communities.
Workforce N/A The programs are designed to build the primary care workforce and provide community-based prevention. States will receive funding to support comprehensive workforce planning and implementation strategies that best address local current and projected workforce shortages.
Training Centers—HRSA University of Washington $650,000 The Public Health Training Centers Program helps improve the public health system by enhancing skills of the current and future public health workforce. Funded organizations (1) plan, develop, operate and evaluate projects that support goals established by the Secretary in preventive medicine, health promotion and disease prevention; or (2) improve access to and quality of health services in medically underserved communities. Other PHTC activities include assessing the learning needs of the public health workforce; providing accessible training; and working with organizations to meet strategic planning, education, and resource needs.
Primary care and Behavioral Health Services Downtown Emergency Service Center $482,394; Asian Counseling and Referral Service $496,863; Department of Social and Health Services $8,330,000 (FY11) The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) at HHS awarded grants to support and promote better primary care and behavioral health services for individuals with mental illnesses or substance use disorders. The grants seek to improve health by improving the coordination of healthcare services delivered in publicly funded community mental health and other community-based behavioral health settings.

*One-Time Funding from FY2010


Trust for America’s Health is a non-profit, non-partisan organization dedicated to saving lives by protecting the health of every community and working to make disease prevention a national priority. www.healthyamericans.org

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation focuses on the pressing health and health care issues facing our country. As the nation’s largest philanthropy devoted exclusively to improving the health and health care of all Americans, the Foundation works with a diverse group of organizations and individuals to identify solutions and achieve comprehensive, meaningful and timely change. For more than 35 years the Foundation has brought experience, commitment, and a rigorous, balanced approach to the problems that affect the health and health care of those it serves. Helping Americans lead healthier lives and get the care they need–the Foundation expects to make a difference in our lifetime. For more information, visit www.rwjf.org.