Partnership to Fight Chronic Disease Praises New Study on Value of Prevention

Calls for Future Health Reform Efforts to Address Cost of Chronic Illness

 

WASHINGTON, D.C. (July 17, 2008) - The Partnership to Fight Chronic Disease (PFCD) applauds Trust for America’s Health, and its partners, The Urban Institute, The New York Academy of Medicine, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, The California Endowment, and the Prevention Institute, for the study they released today, "Return on Investment in Disease Prevention: Serious Savings from Successful Programs," which highlights the value of chronic disease prevention. 

"Making changes to improve the way our nation prevents and manages chronic illnesses must be a top priority in the future health reform debate efforts if we want to reduce and eliminate costs in our health care system," said Ken Thorpe, Ph.D., Executive Director of PFCD, and Chair of the Department of Health Policy and Management at Emory University’s Rollins School of Public Health.

Chronic diseases, such as diabetes, heart disease, and cancer, areresponsiblefor seven out of 10 deaths and 75 percent of every health care dollar spentin the U.S. These are conditions that could either be effectively prevented or minimized through simple, low-cost disease prevention and management programs, which would eliminate, not just shift, costs from the U.S. health care system.

The study released today builds on the body of research from PFCD and other groups demonstrating that improvements in this area are necessary to slow rising health care costs, and that investment in community-based disease prevention programs that promote physical fitness, healthy diet and smoking cessation will generate savings by improving Americans’ health and reducing disease incidence. 

In June, the PFCD released a first-of-its-kind resource for policymakers, health experts, and media, Keeping America Healthy: A Guide To Successful Programs, which highlights public and private programs from across the country -- including community-based efforts -- that have proven successful in improving health and health behaviors and reducing the burden of disease.

"As the issue of reducing our disease burden through better prevention and disease management has grown as a public policy issue, policymakers have asked for ideas on how to meet the challenge. Now, with the Keeping American Healthy guide and this report, policymakers have the tools necessary to begin making the decisions necessary to fight chronic disease," said Thorpe.

About the Partnership to Fight Chronic Disease:

The PFCD is a national coalition of more than 100 patient, provider, community, business and labor groups, committed to raising awareness of the number one cause of death, disability, and rising health care costs in the U.S.: poorly prevented and mismanaged chronic disease.

The PFCD's mission is to:

  • Challenge policymakers - in particular, the 2008 presidential candidates - to make fighting chronic disease a top priority and discuss how they will address it in their health care proposals
  • Educate the public about chronic disease and potential solutions for individuals, communities, and the nation
  • Mobilize Americans to call for change in how policymakers, governments, employers, health institutions, and other entities approach chronic disease

For more information about the PFCD and its partner organizations, please visit: http://www.fightchronicdisease.org.


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