Trust for America's Health and Over 100 National Organizations Send Letter To the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction Expressing Strong Support For the Prevention and Public Health Fund

WASHINGTON, Oct. 5, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Trust for America's Health (TFAH) and leaders from over 100 national organizations sent a letter to the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction expressing strong support for sufficiently funding the nation's public health programs, most notably maintaining the Prevention and Public Health Fund.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20100204/TFAHLOGO)

The letter, in part, states:

"As leaders of national organizations, we would like to express our strong support for sufficiently funding the nation's public health programs, and in particular, maintaining the Prevention and Public Health Fund (Fund), an unprecedented investment in national, state and local efforts to prevent disease and reduce long-term health costs.  We were disappointed that the President's deficit reduction plan included cuts to the Prevention Fund, which would result in a 25 percent reduction in this investment by FY 2015, severely impacting our efforts to curb chronic disease.  We urge you to maintain our investment in the Fund and produce a final deficit reduction plan that recognizes the importance of prevention.

"Nearly 700 national, state, and local organizations support the Fund as a primary vehicle for making public health investments that would create jobs and help to lower long-term health care costs...The Fund fills a role that has the support of the American people - a public opinion survey conducted by Trust for America's Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation found that 71 percent of Americans favored an increased investment in disease prevention.

"As you know, billions of dollars in mandatory funding are spent each year through Medicare, Medicaid, and other federal health care programs to pay for health care services once patients develop an acute illness, disability, injury, or chronic disease and present for treatment in our health care system.  Yet prior to the creation of the Fund, there was no corresponding reliable investment in efforts to promote wellness, prevent disease, and protect against public health or bioterrorism emergencies.  At a time when today's children are in danger of becoming the first generation in American history to live shorter, less healthy lives than their parents, we need to get serious as a nation about our commitment to prevention, wellness, and preparedness.

"States and communities are already using Prevention Fund dollars to build epidemiology and laboratory capacity to track and respond to disease outbreaks, train the nation's public health workforce, modernize vaccine systems, prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS, reduce tobacco use, promote behavioral health, prevent injuries, help control the obesity epidemic, and build the evidence base to continually enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of these public health programs."

The full letter is available here. The list of 696 organizations that supports the Prevention and Public Health fund is available here.

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

The letter was signed by the following:

1. Normandie Nigh, Chief Executive Officer, A World Fit For Kids!
2. Nancy Chapman, RD, MPH, President, Advocates for Better Children's Diets
3. Mark Ishaug, President and Chief Executive Officer, AIDS United
4. Leeann Hall, Executive Director, Alliance for a Just Society
5. O. Marion Burton, MD FAAP, President, American Academy of Pediatrics
6. E. Paul Roetert, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer, American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance
7. Geraldine "Polly" Bednash, Ph.D., RN, FAAN, Chief Executive Officer American Association of Colleges of Nursing
8. Lucinda L. Maine, Ph.D., RPh, Executive VP and Chief Executive Officer, American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy
9. Roberta Carlin, MS, JD, Executive Director, American Association on Health and Disability
10. Dr. John Seffrin, Chief Executive Officer, American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network
11. Michael A. Barry, CAE, Executive Director, American College of Preventive Medicine
12. Scott Goudeseune, President and CEO, American Council on Exercise
13. Larry Hausner, MBA, Chief Executive Officer, American Diabetes Association
14. Patricia M. Babjak, Chief Executive Officer, American Dietetic Association
15. Nancy Brown Chief Executive Officer, American Heart Association
16. Charles D. Connor, President and Chief Executive Officer, American Lung Association
17. Colin McCluney, Education & Advocacy Fellow, American Medical Student Association
18. Rose Iris Gonzalez, Ph.D., RN, Director, Government Affairs, American Nurses Association
19. Pamela A Thompson, MS, RN, CENP, FAAN, Chief Executive Officer American Organization of Nurse Executives
20. J. Alan Baker, Interim Executive Director, American Public Health Association
21. Ed Grandi, Executive Director, American Sleep Apnea Association
22. John H. Klippel, MD, President and Chief Executive Officer, Arthritis Foundation
23. Kathy Lim Ko, President and Chief Executive Officer, Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum
24. Allison L. Lewis, Executive Director, Association for Prevention Teaching and Research
25. Katrina Crist, MBA Chief Executive Officer, Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology
26. Jeffrey Caballero, Executive Director, Association of Asian Pacific Community Health Organizations
27. Susan M. Swider, Ph.D., APHN-BC, President, Association of Community Health Nursing Educators
28. Michael Fraser, Ph.D., CAE Chief Executive Officer, Association of Maternal and Child Health Programs
29. Scott J. Becker, MS Executive Director, Association of Public Health Laboratories
30. Harrison C. Spencer, MD, MPH, CPH, President and Chief Executive Officer, Association of Schools of Public Health
31. Christine Wood, Executive Director, Association of State and Territorial Dental Directors
32. John Auerbach, MBA President, Association of State and Territorial Health Officials; Commissioner Massachusetts Department of Public Health
33. Paul E. Jarris, MD, MBA, Executive Director, Association of State and Territorial Health Officials
34. Karen Probert, Executive Director, Association of State and Territorial Public Health Nutrition Directors
35. Robert Bernstein, Ph.D. President and Chief Executive Officer, Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law
36. Matthew L. Myers, President, Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids
37. Karen Licitra, Board Chair, Campaign to End Obesity Action Fund
38. Lorren Sandt, Executive Director, Caring Ambassadors Program, Inc.
39. JoEllen Tarallo-Falk, Ed.D., MCHES, Executive Director, Center for Health and Learning
40. Michael F. Jacobson, Ph.D., Executive Director, Center for Science in the Public Interest
41. James C. Waul, Administrative Assistant, Children's Dental Health Project
42. Emily J. Holubowich, Executive Director, Coalition for Health Funding
43. Lisa Simpson, MB, BCh, MPH, President and Chief Executive Officer, Coalition for Health Services Research
44. Vincent Lafronza, Ed.D., President, CommonHealth ACTION
45. Don Mathis, President and Chief Executive Officer, Community Action Partnership
46. Robert Restuccia, Executive Director, Community Catalyst
47. Lark Galloway-Gilliam, Executive Director, Community Health Councils
48. Leeann Hall, Executive Director, Community Organizations in Action
49. Kathy Burgoyne, PhD, Vice President, Health Equity Partners Comprehensive Health Education Foundation
50. Adam Perlman, MD, Chair, Consortium of Academic Health Centers for Integrative Medicine
51. Debra Fraser Howze, Senior Vice President, Orasure Technologies Corporate Hepatitis Alliance
52. Patrick J. McConnon, MPH, Executive Director, Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists
53. Susan Goekler  Executive Director Directors of Health Promotion and Education
54. Allan Clear, Executive Director, Harm Reduction Coalition
55. Leslie Spencer, Ph.D., Interim Chairperson of the Board of Directors, Health Promotion Advocates
56. Laurie Stillman, Chief Strategy and Policy Officer, Health Resources in Action
57. Mary R. Grealy, President, Healthcare Leadership Council
58. Emily Cook, Vice President, Government Markets Healthways, Inc.
59. Jane Pan, Executive Director, Hepatitis B Initiative of Washington, D.C.
60. Ponni Perumalswami, MD, Principal Investigator, Hepatitis Outreach Network
61. Andrea Weddle, Executive Director, HIV Medicine Association
62. James M. Hughes, MD, FIDSA, President, Infectious Diseases Society of America
63. Vincent Lafronza, Ed.D., President, Institute for Public Health Innovation
64. Janet R. Kahn, Ph.D. LMT, Executive Director, Integrated Healthcare Policy Consortium
65. Joe Moore, President and Chief Executive Officer, International Health Racquet & Sportsclub Association
66. Sam Blair, Network Director, Main Street Alliance
67. Dr. Jennifer L. Howse, President, March of Dimes Foundation
68. Harry MacMillan, Executive Director, MEND Foundation
69. Julie M. Scofield, Executive Director, National Alliance of State and Territorial AIDS Directors
70. Robert M. Pestronk,  Executive Director,  National Association of County and City Health Officials
71. Ron Manderscheid, Ph.D., Executive Director, National Association of County Behavioral Health & Developmental Disability Directors
72. Marie M. Fallon, Ed.D. Chief Executive Officer, National Association of Local Boards of Health
73. Hutson W. Inniss, Executive Director, National Coalition for LGBT Health
74. Keith Mason, Executive Director, National Forum for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention
75. Joseph Kimbrell, MA, MSW, Chief Executive Officer, National Network of Public Health Institutes
76. Tine Hansen-Turton, MGA, JD, Chief Executive Officer, National Nursing Centers Consortium
77. Lark Galloway-Gilliam, President, National REACH Coalition
78. Martha Saly, Director, National Viral Hepatitis Roundtable
79. The Rev. Douglas A. Greenaway, President and Chief Executive Officer, National WIC Association
80. Debbie I. Chang, MPH Vice President, Policy and Prevention Nemours
81. Michael Mawby, Chief Government Affairs Officer, Novo Nordisk
82. Jud Richland, MPH, President, Partnership for Prevention
83. Carolyn R. Aldige, President and Founder, Prevent Cancer Foundation
84. Larry Cohen, Executive Director, Prevention Institute
85. Dana Van Gorder,  Executive Director, Project Inform
86. Ron Bialek, MPP, President, Public Health Foundation
87. Mary Pittman, President and Chief Executive Officer, Public Health Institute
88. Marice Ashe, JD, MPH, Executive Director, Public Health Law & Policy
89. Ellen Rautenberg, President and Chief Executive Officer, Public Health Solutions
90. Lois Uttley Co-Founder, Raising Women's Voices for the Health Care We Need
91. Deb Hubsmith, Director, Safe Routes to School National Partnership
92. Amber N. Williams, Executive Director, Safe States Alliance
93. Sarah E. Samuels, DrPH, President, Samuels & Associates
94. Steven M. Gordon, MD, President, Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America
95. Elaine Auld, MPH, MCHES, Chief Executive Officer, Society for Public Health Education
96. Lisa A. Levine, CAE, President, Sudden Cardiac Arrest Association
97. Ruth T. Perot, Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer, Summit Health Institute for Research and Education, Inc.
98. Mickey S. Urdea, Ph.D., Chief Scientific Officer and Chairman, Tethys Bioscience, Inc.
99. Michael Ruppal Executive Director, The AIDS Institute
100. James P. Firman, Ed.D., President and Chief Executive Officer, The National Council on the Aging
101. Jeffrey Levi, Ph.D., Executive Director, Trust for America's Health
102. J. Robinson Lynch, President and Chief Executive Officer, VSP Vision Care
103. Neil Nicoll, President and Chief Executive Officer, YMCA of the USA

SOURCE Trust for America's Health