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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 |
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.
The annual Health Education Advocacy Summit was comprised of a two-and-a-half day meeting where participants obtain assistance in polishing their advocacy skills. The Summit took place on March 15-17, 2008 at the Embassy Suites Hotel in Washington, D.C.
Along with the basic, intermediate, and advanced-level advocacy training, the summit also featured seminars on issue-specific legislative priorities by skilled professionals from the government relations staffs of key public health organizations, as well as congressional visits with legislators or key staff—either individually or in state/district delegations.
Every year, the summit planning committee selects specific legislative issues to address at this conference. This year’s summit focused on:
Function 550 – which provides funding for all
health and education programs, including the Public Health
Service (Fact
Sheet pdf file)
Increased appropriations for CDC’s National
Center for Chronic Disease Prevention & Health Promotion (Fact
Sheet pdf file)
Increased appropriations for CDC’s REACH US
program to address health disparities (Fact
Sheet pdf file)
Increased appropriations for CDC’s
Coordinated School Health Program (Fact
Sheet pdf file)
Passage of Kennedy/Jackson Health Disparities Bill (Fact Sheet pdf file)
PowerPoint presentations about each of this year's advocacy issues are at the "Alerts" web page.
Fern Walter Goodhart,
MS, CHES the 2008 APHA Public Health Legislative Fellow with
Senator Robert Menendez, received the Achievement Award.
Honorable mention went to
Laurie Cancialosi,
Chief of Staff for the Chair of the
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
