State and Territorial Health Officials Ready to Realize Vision in National Prevention Strategy

ARLINGTON, Va., June 16, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO) applauds the National Prevention Council for the vision set forth in the National Prevention Strategy, released today.

ASTHO is pleased to see a strategy that takes a broad view of health that includes mental health and substance abuse prevention in addition to physical wellness; an emphasis on healthy and safe environments; clinical and community prevention; empowering people; and eliminating health disparities. According to John Auerbach, Commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Public Health and President of ASTHO, "We can't successfully address chronic diseases, infectious diseases, or injuries unless we deal with disparities and promote health equity." Commissioner Auerbach has used his presidency to challenge his fellow health officials across the country to take concrete steps to promote health equity, which is a strategic priority for ASTHO.

State and territorial health officials are the boots on the ground for promotion of health and wellness at the community and individual levels. They foster the development of environments that make healthy choices easy and inexpensive. State and territorial health officials can engage their colleagues in other state agencies—such as education, agriculture, and transportation—and work with private sector partners and non-profit community organizations to implement the National Prevention Strategy. For example, "We brought together the Tennessee Obesity Task Force, a collaboration of more than 100 public and private partners to develop and implement the Tennessee Physical Activity and Nutrition Plan:  Eat Well Play More Tennessee.  Eat Well Play More aims to reduce obesity in Tennessee by 2015 and features action teams focused on the built environment, healthy food access, childcare and schools, parks and recreation, and vulnerable populations among others," said Susan Cooper, Commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Health and Chair of ASTHO's Prevention Policy Committee, who was a panelist at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' launch of the strategy.

ASTHO commends the National Prevention Council for making this commitment to prevention and looks forward to making the strategy a reality. "Without prevention, we will never realize our full potential to become a healthy nation." said ASTHO's Executive Director, Paul Jarris. He continued, "We must use the National Prevention Strategy to vigorously invest in and pursue prevention efforts to reform our health system, reduce healthcare costs, and increase the number of Americans who are healthy at every stage in life."

ASTHO is the national nonprofit organization representing the public health agencies of the United States, the U.S. Territories, and the District of Columbia, as well as the 120,000 public health professionals these agencies employ. ASTHO members, the chief health officials of these jurisdictions, are dedicated to formulating and influencing sound public health policy and to assuring excellence in state-based public health practice.

SOURCE Association of State and Territorial Health Officials