HHS announces $750M for disease prevention

Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius has announced a $750 million investment in disease prevention and public health initiatives.

The money comes from the Prevention and Public Health Fund, which was created during the passage of healthcare reform legislation. 

[See also: House votes healthcare overhaul into law .]

Building on $500 million in investments last year, the new funding targets tobacco use, obesity, heart disease, stroke and cancer. The program aims to increase immunizations and empower individuals and communities with tools and resources for local prevention and health initiatives.

[See: HHS grants $650M in Recovery Act funding for community prevention and wellness initiative.]

"Prevention is something that can't just happen in a doctor's office,” Sebelius said. “If we are to address the big health issues of our time, from physical inactivity to poor nutrition to tobacco use, it needs to happen in local communities,"

Sebelius said the investment would build on prevention work already under way “to help make sure that we are working effectively across the federal government as well as with private groups and state and local governments to help Americans live longer, healthier lives."

The Prevention and Public Health Fund, part of the Affordable Care Act, is designed to expand and sustain the necessary capacity to prevent disease, detect it early, manage conditions before they become severe, and provide states and communities the resources they need to promote healthy living.

In FY2010, $500 million was distributed to states and communities to boost prevention and public health efforts, improve health, enhance healthcare quality and foster the next generation of primary health professionals.

HHS has posted new fact sheets detailing how that $500 million was allocated in every state. They can be found at www.HealthCare.gov/news/factsheets/prevention02092011a.html.

New funds are dedicated to expanding four critical priorities:

• Community Prevention ($298 million): These funds will be used to help promote health and wellness in local communities, including efforts to prevent and reduce tobacco use, improve nutrition and increase physical activity to prevent obesity and coordinate efforts to prevent chronic diseases like diabetes, heart disease and cancer.
• Clinical Prevention ($182 million): These funds will be used to help improve access to preventive care, including increasing awareness of new benefits provided under the new healthcare law. They will also be used to help increase immunizations and integrate behavioral health services into primary care settings.
• Public Health Infrastructure ($137 million): These funds will help state and local health departments meet 21st Century challenges, including investments in information technology and training for the public health workforce to enable detection and response to infectious disease outbreaks and other health threats.
• Research and Tracking ($133 million): These funds will be used to help collect data to monitor the impact of the Affordable Care Act on the health of Americans and identify and disseminate evidence-based recommendations on important public health challenges.