HHS secretary announced $750 million investment in prevention, public health
WASHINGTON — Department of Health and Human Services secretary Kathleen Sebelius on Wednesday announced a $750 million investment in prevention and public health, funded through the Prevention and Public Health Fund created by the new healthcare law.
“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.”
Building on $500 million in investments last year, the new dollars are being earmarked to help prevent tobacco use, obesity, heart disease, stroke, and cancer; increase immunizations; and empower local communities with tools and resources to fund their own health initiatives.
Specific initiatives include:
Community Prevention ($298 million): These funds will be used to help promote health and wellness in local communities;
Clinical Prevention ($182 million): These funds will help improve access to preventive care, including increasing awareness of the new prevention benefits provided under the new healthcare law. They also will help increase availability and use of immunizations, and help integrate behavioral health services into primary care settings, HHS stated;
Public Health Infrastructure ($137 million): Rhese funds will help state and local health departments meet today’s 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; and
Research and Tracking ($133 million), these funds will 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.
For more information about the FY2011 Prevention and Public Health Fund investments, click here.