More Than 175 Public Health Organizations Send Letter of Support for Health Reform to Congress and the President
WASHINGTON, Feb. 4 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- More than 175 organizations issued a letter of support today to the President, the U.S. Senate and U.S. House of Representatives to strongly support comprehensive health reform efforts, emphasizing the need to modernize and increase funding for disease prevention, wellness, and public health in the United States. The following is the text of the letter and a list of the organizations that have signed on in support of the letter:
(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20100204/TFAHLOGO )
"Dear Mr. President/Senator/Representative:
In recent months, we have inched closer to something that has eluded us for decades -- comprehensive health reform. From the prevention, public health and health workforce provisions, to the insurance market reforms, to the expansion of coverage, we believe key elements included in both the House and Senate bills would represent a new direction for America's health care and public health systems.
As you determine the next steps this nation will take to advance the nation's health, the undersigned organizations urge that as you move forward, you will maintain the comprehensive nature of this reform package and enact legislation that ultimately promotes prevention and wellness, bolsters our health care and public health workforce, and expands coverage while controlling costs and reforming the insurance industry. Though the path ahead may be uncertain, we urge you to seize this opportunity to make a real difference in the way that this country delivers health.
In particular, in whatever vehicle you ultimately enact, we urge your continued support for the establishment of a dedicated funding mechanism for prevention and public health. As you know, both the House and Senate bills included mandatory funding for prevention and public health through a Prevention and Public Health Fund and a Community Health Center Fund (Senate bill) and a Public Health Investment Fund (House bill). The Senate-passed bill provides a combined $25 billion for its Prevention and Public Health Fund and Community Health Center Fund, and the House-passed bill includes a total of $33.9 billion for its Public Health Investment Fund. We strongly support inclusion of no less than the House-passed amount in the final bill. We also urge you to ensure that the final bill provides sustained investments of guaranteed funds for prevention and public health. Further, the bill should ensure that new funding will supplement, not supplant, our current investment in prevention and public health.
The opportunity that we have before us today -- to enact comprehensive health reform that emphasizes prevention and wellness, instead of just disease treatment -- may not come again for decades. Americans need strong leadership during these trying times. The unprecedented investments in wellness and prevention included in the House and Senate bills would help us to forge a new way forward by enabling us to build stronger, healthier, more resilient communities. Toward that end, we urge you to include a dedicated funding mechanism for prevention and public health in the final bill.
1. Advocates for Better Children's Diets | |
2. AIDS Action Council | |
3. All Saints Home Care And Referral Services (CA) | |
4. American Academy of Physician Assistants | |
5. American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance | |
6. American Association for Health Education | |
7. American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine | |
8. American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy | |
9. American Association on Health and Disability | |
10. American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network | |
11. American College of Clinical Pharmacy | |
12. American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine | |
13. American College of Preventive Medicine | |
14. American Diabetes Association | |
15. American Heart Association | |
16. American Lung Association | |
17. American Public Health Association | |
18. American Social Health Association | |
19. American Thoracic Society | |
20. Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum | |
21. Association of State & Territorial Health Officials | |
22. Arthritis Foundation | |
23. Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, Inc. | |
24. Association for Utah Community Health | |
25. Association of Maternal and Child Health Programs | |
26. Association of Ohio Health Commissioners | |
27. Association of Public Health Laboratories | |
28. Association of Schools of Public Health | |
29. Association of State and Territorial Dental Directors | |
30. Association of State and Territorial Directors of Nursing | |
31. Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law | |
32. Beach Cities Health District (CA) | |
33. Bi-State Primary Care Association | |
34. Brooklyn Perinatal Network, Inc. | |
35. Bryan County Health Department (GA) | |
36. California Center for Public Health Advocacy | |
37. California Primary Care Association | |
38. Camden County Health Department (GA) | |
39. Campaign for Public Health | |
40. Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids | |
41. Center for Adolescent Health & the Law | |
42. Center for Science in the Public Interest | |
43. CEO Services (NY) | |
44. Chatham County Health Department (GA) | |
45. Children's Dental Health Project | |
46. Children's Hospital and Research Center Oakland | |
47. Christian County Health Department (KY) | |
48. CityMatCH | |
49. Colorado Community Health Network | |
50. Commissioned Officers Association of the U.S. Public Health Service | |
51. CommonHealth ACTION | |
52. Community Action Partnership | |
53. Community Catalyst | |
54. Community Health Association of Mountain/Plains States | |
55. Community Health Care Association of New York State | |
56. Community Health Centers of Arkansas, Arkansas Primary Care Association | |
57. Community Health Councils | |
58. Community Health Partnership: Oregon's Public Health Institute | |
59. Connecticut Association of Directors of Health | |
60. County Health Executives Association of California | |
61. Defeat Diabetes Foundation | |
62. Delaware Center for Health Promotion | |
63. Effingham County Health Department (GA) | |
64. Faces & Voices of Recovery | |
65. Family Cook Productions | |
66. Family Voices | |
67. Georgia Public Health Association | |
68. Glynn County Health Department (GA) | |
69. Hawaii Primary Care Association | |
70. Health Education Network of Delaware | |
71. Health Justice Network | |
72. Health Officers Association of California | |
73. Health Resources in Action, Inc. | |
74. Hepatitis B Foundation | |
75. Hepatitis Foundation International | |
76. Home Safety Council | |
77. Huron County Health Department (MI) | |
78. Illinois Association of Public Health Administrators | |
79. Illinois Primary Health Care Association | |
80. Indiana Association of Public Health Physicians and Local Health Departments Organization, Inc | |
81. Indiana Primary Health Care Association | |
82. Infectious Diseases Society of America | |
83. Institute for Public Health Innovation | |
84. International Health, Racquet & Sportsclub Association | |
85. Iron Disorders Institute | |
86. Kansas Association for the Medically Underserved | |
87. Kansas Association of Local Health Departments | |
88. Kentucky Health Departments Association | |
89. Kentucky Public Health Association | |
90. KHMER HEALTH ADVOCATES, Inc | |
91. La Fe Policy Research and Education Center | |
92. Liberty County Health Department (GA) | |
93. Local Public Health Association of Minnesota | |
94. Long County Health Department (GA) | |
95. Louisiana Primary Care Association | |
96. Louisiana Public Health Institute | |
97. Maine Primary Care Association | |
98. March of Dimes Foundation | |
99. Maryland Association of County Health Officers | |
100. Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers | |
101. McIntosh County Health Department (GA) | |
102. Mental Health America | |
103. Michigan Primary Care Association | |
104. Minnesota Association of Community Health Center | |
105. Mississippi Primary Health Care Association | |
106. Missouri Association of Local Public Health Agencies | |
107. Missouri Primary Care Association | |
108. Monroe County Public Health Department (MI) | |
109. National Alliance of Multi-ethnic Behavioral Health Associations | |
110. National Alliance of State & Territorial AIDS Directors | |
111. National Asian American Pacific Islander Mental Health Association | |
112. National Assembly on School-Based Health Care | |
113. National Association for Sport and Physical Education | |
114. National Association of Chronic Disease Directors | |
115. National Association of Community Health Centers, Inc. | |
116. National Association of County and City Health Officials | |
117. National Association of State Alcohol and Drug Abuse Directors | |
118. National Athletic Trainers' Association | |
119. National Center for Healthy Housing | |
120. National Coalition for Promoting Physical Activity | |
121. National Coalition of STD Directors | |
122. National Council of Asian and Pacific Islander Physicians | |
123. National Environmental Health Association | |
124. National Forum for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention | |
125. National Health Equity Coalition | |
126. National Network of Public Health Institutes | |
127. National Nursing Centers Consortium | |
128. National Nursing Network Organization | |
129. National Recreation and Park Association | |
130. National REACH Coalition | |
131. National WIC Association | |
132. Nebraska State Association of County & City Health Officials | |
133. Nemours | |
134. New Jersey Association of County Health Officers | |
135. New Jersey Health Officers Association | |
136. New Jersey Primary Care Association | |
137. New Mexico Primary Care Association | |
138. New York Academy of Medicine | |
139. New York State Association of County Health Officials | |
140. North American Quitline Consortium | |
141. North Carolina Association of Local Health Directors | |
142. North Carolina Community Health Center Association | |
143. North County Health Services (CA) | |
144. OCA: Embracing the hopes and aspirations of Asian Pacific Americans | |
145. Ohio Association of Community Health Centers | |
146. Oregon Primary Care Association | |
147. Out of Many, One | |
148. Partnership for Prevention | |
149. Physician Assistant Education Association | |
150. PolicyLink | |
151. Prevention Institute | |
152. Public Health Foundation | |
153. Public Health Institute | |
154. Public Health-Seattle & King County | |
155. Public Health Solutions | |
156. REACH Southeastern African American Center of Excellence for Eliminating Disparities | |
157. Society for Adolescent Medicine | |
158. Society for Public Health Education | |
159. South Asian Americans Leading Together | |
160. South Carolina Primary Health Care Association | |
161. Special Services for Groups, Inc. - ALAS para tu Salud | |
162. Special Services for Groups, Inc. - PALS for Health | |
163. State and Territorial Injury Prevention Directors Association | |
164. Texas Association of Local Health Officials | |
165. The AIDS Institute | |
166. Thurston County Board of Health (WA) | |
167. Trust for America's Health | |
168. Tuscola County Health Department (MI) | |
169. United Fresh Produce Association | |
170. University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences | |
171. Washington Association of Local Public Health Officials | |
172. Washington Health Foundation- Healthiest State in the Nation Campaign | |
173. West Virginia Primary Care Association | |
174. Wisconsin Association of Local Health Departments and Boards | |
175. Wisconsin Primary Health Care Association | |
176. YMCA of the USA" | |
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
SOURCE Trust for America's Health
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