Press Release on health-related topics.
February 13, 2020
by Patti Neighmond
NPR Shots
In large part, of course, this has to do with funding, which is always challenging, says John Auerbach, president of Trust for America’s Health, a nonpartisan health research and advocacy group.
“Infectious disease outbreaks can accelerate quickly, and you don’t want to wait until you see what that is like and then say, ‘Well, now let’s begin a slow and deliberate planning process.’ You really want to get ahead of it,” he says.
February 5, 2020
by John Auerbach and Benjamin F. Miller
The Hill
Just a few days ago, we learned that life expectancy had risen for the first time since 2014 and saw the first decline in drug overdose deaths since 2012.
While this is great news that should be celebrated, we also found that suicides continue to rise and overdose deaths involving synthetic opioids, cocaine, and psychostimulants (a category that includes drugs like methamphetamine, amphetamine, and methylphenidate) continued to increase.
Today, the Administration released the President’s FY2021 budget request for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and other federal agencies, including a proposed 10 percent cut to HHS and a 9 percent cut to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
In response, the President and CEO of Trust for America’s Health, John Auerbach, released the following statement:
“Public health is battling threats on multiple fronts, from coronavirus, to natural disasters, to opioids to chronic diseases like diabetes. Every year, public health is asked to do more with less, often fighting a growing number of 21st century problems with an insufficient set of 20th century tools.
We are concerned that this budget request, if adopted by Congress, would cut public health funding amid multiple outbreaks and epidemics that threaten the health and safety of the American people.
Such budget cuts would add to the impact of years of stagnant or decreased funding. CDC’s budget is already 10% lower than it was 10 years ago, when inflation is factored in. And since most of CDC’s funding is distributed to states and local communities, this loss is directly felt throughout the nation. The consequences are troubling. For example, only 16 states are funded to fight the obesity epidemic, yet nearly 40% of American adults have obesity. This costs our healthcare system an excess $149 billion per year. In addition, CDC’s emergency preparedness line item has been cut by a third in the last several years. The proposed budget would sustain or cut these programs even further.
We urge Congress and the Administration to work to ensure public health has the tools and resources it needs to prevent disease and safeguard the health of all communities.”
January 21, 2020
by J. Nadine Gracia MD, MSCE and Karen DeSalvo MD MPH MSc
Annals of Internal Medicine
Improving the public’s health requires more than access to high-quality, affordable health care. Achieving health equity will require attention to social determinants of health, including important underlying barriers to health and well-being, such as racism and poverty. The American College of Physicians’ (ACP) vision for a better U.S. health care system includes an important call to action for medicine to do just that—shift toward a more comprehensive approach to addressing health drivers of our patients and communities. (1)
A medida que aumentan las amenazas, la evaluación anual determina que el nivel de preparación de los estados para emergencias sanitarias está mejorando en algunas áreas, pero está estancado en otras
(Washington, DC) – Veinticinco Estados y el Distrito de Columbia tuvieron un alto desempeño en una medida de tres niveles de preparación de los Estados para proteger la salud public durante una emergencia, según un nuevo informe publicado hoy por Trust for America’s Health (TFAH, por su sigla en inglés). El informe anual, Ready or Not 2020: Proteging the Public’s Health from Diseases, Disasters and Bioterrorism, encontró una mejora año tras año entre las 10 medidas de preparación para emergencias, pero también señala áreas que necesitan mejoras. El año pasado, 17 Estados se clasificaron en el nivel superior del informe.
Para 2020, 12 Estados se ubicaron en el nivel de rendimiento medio, por debajo de 20 Estados y el Distrito de Columbia en el nivel medio el año pasado, y 13 se ubicaron en el nivel de rendimiento bajo, el mismo número que el año pasado.
El informe encontró que el nivel de preparación de los estados ha mejorado en áreas claves, que incluyen fondos de salud pública, participación en coaliciones y pactos de atención médica, seguridad hospitalaria y vacunación contra la gripe. Sin embargo, otras medidas clave de seguridad de la salud, que incluyen garantizar un suministro de agua seguro y acceso a tiempo libre remunerado, está estancado o perdido.
| Nivel de Rendimiento | Estados | Numero de Estados |
| Alto | AL, CO, CT, DC, DE, IA, ID, IL, KS, MA, MD, ME, MO, MS, NC, NE, NJ, NM, OK, PA, TN, UT, VA, VT, WA, W |
25 Estados y DC |
| Medio | AZ, CA, FL, GA, KY, LA, MI, MN, ND, OR, RI, TX | 12 Estados |
Bajo |
AK, AR, HI, IN, MT, NH, NV, NY, OH, SC, SD, WV, WY | 13 Estados |
El informe mide el desempeño anualmente de los Estados utilizando 10 indicadores que, en conjunto, proporcionan una lista de verificación del nivel de preparación de una jurisdicción para prevenir y responder a las amenazas a la salud de sus residentes durante una emergencia. Los indicadores son:
| Indicadores de Preparación | |||
| 1 | Gestión de incidentes: adopción del Pacto de licencia de enfermería | 6 | Seguridad del agua: Porcentaje de la población que utilizó un sistema de agua comunitario que no cumplió con todos los estándares de salud aplicables. |
| 2 | Colaboración comunitaria intersectorial: porcentaje de hospitales que participan en coaliciones de atención médica. | 7 | Resistencia laboral y control de infecciones: porcentaje de población ocupada con tiempo libre remunerado. |
| 3 | Calidad institucional: acreditación de la Junta de Acreditación de Salud Pública | 8 | Utilización de contramedidas: porcentaje de personas de 6 meses o más que recibieron una vacuna contra la gripe estacional. |
| 4 | Calidad institucional: acreditación del Programa de acreditación de gestión de emergencias. | 9 | Seguridad del paciente: porcentaje de hospitales con una clasificación de alta calidad (grado “A”) en el grado de seguridad del hospital Leapfrog. |
| 5 | Calidad institucional: tamaño del presupuesto estatal de salud pública, en comparación con el año pasado. | 10 | Vigilancia de la seguridad de la salud: el laboratorio de salud pública tiene un plan para un aumento de la capacidad de prueba de seis a ocho semanas. |
Cuatro Estados (Delaware, Pensilvania, Tennessee y Utah) pasaron del nivel de bajo rendimiento en el informe del año pasado al nivel alto en el informe de este año. Seis Estados (Illinois, Iowa, Maine, Nuevo México, Oklahoma, Vermont) y el Distrito de Columbia pasaron del nivel medio al nivel alto. Ningún Estado cayó del nivel alto al bajo, pero seis pasaron del nivel medio al bajo: Hawaii, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, Carolina del Sur y Virginia Occidental.
“El creciente número de amenazas para la salud de los estadounidenses en 2019, desde inundaciones hasta incendios forestales y vapeo, demuestra la importancia crítica de un sistema de salud pública sólido. Estar preparado es a menudo la diferencia entre daños o no daños durante emergencias de salud y requiere cuatro cosas: planificación, financiamiento dedicado, cooperación interinstitucional y jurisdiccional, y una fuerza laboral calificada de salud pública “, dijo John Auerbach, presidente y CEO de Trust for America’s Health.
“Si bien el informe de este año muestra que, como nación, estamos más preparados para enfrentar emergencias de salud pública, todavía no estamos tan preparados como deberíamos estar”. Se necesita más planificación e inversión para salvar vidas”, dijo Auerbach.
El análisis de TFAH encontró que:
Otras secciones del informe describen cómo el sistema de salud pública fue fundamental para la respuesta a la crisis de vapeo, cómo las inequidades en salud ponen a algunas comunidades en mayor riesgo durante una emergencia y las necesidades de las personas con discapacidad durante una emergencia.
Se puede acceder al informe completo en Ready or Not 2020 report. |
# # #
Trust for America’s Health es una organización sin fines de lucro y no partidista que promueve la salud óptima para cada persona y comunidad y hace de la prevención de enfermedades y lesiones una prioridad nacional. www.tfah.org. Twitter: @ healthyamerica1
As Threats Increase, Annual Assessment Finds States’ Level of Readiness for Health Emergencies is Improving in Some Areas but Stalled in Others
February 5, 2020
(Washington, DC) – Twenty-five states and the District of Columbia were high-performers on a three-tier measure of states’ preparedness to protect the public’s health during an emergency, according to a new report released today by Trust for America’s Health (TFAH). The annual report, Ready or Not 2020: Protecting the Public’s Health from Diseases, Disasters, and Bioterrorism, found year-over-year improvement among 10 emergency readiness measures, but also notes areas in need of improvement. Last year, 17 states ranked in the report’s top tier.
For 2020, 12 states placed in the middle performance tier, down from 20 states and the District of Columbia in the middle tier last year, and 13 placed in the low performance tier, the same number as last year.
The report found that states’ level of preparedness has improved in key areas, including public health funding, participation in healthcare coalitions and compacts, hospital safety, and seasonal flu vaccination. However, other key health security measures, including ensuring a safe water supply and access to paid time off, stalled or lost ground.
| Performance Tier | States | Number of States |
| High Tier | AL, CO, CT, DC, DE, IA, ID, IL, KS, MA, MD, ME, MO, MS, NC, NE, NJ, NM, OK, PA, TN, UT, VA, VT, WA, WI |
25 states and DC |
| Middle Tier | AZ, CA, FL, GA, KY, LA, MI, MN, ND, OR, RI, TX | 12 states |
| Low Tier | AK, AR, HI, IN, MT, NH, NV, NY, OH, SC, SD, WV, WY | 13 states |
The report measures states’ performance on an annual basis using 10 indicators that, taken together, provide a checklist of a jurisdiction’s level of preparedness to prevent and respond to threats to its residents’ health during an emergency. The indicators are:
| Preparedness Indicators | |||
| 1 | Incident Management: Adoption of the Nurse Licensure Compact. | 6 | Water Security: Percentage of the population who used a community water system that failed to meet all applicable health-based standards. |
| 2 | Cross-Sector Community collaboration: Percentage of hospitals participating in healthcare coalitions. | 7 | Workforce Resiliency and Infection Control: Percentage of employed population with paid time off. |
| 3 | Institutional Quality: Accreditation by the Public Health Accreditation Board. | 8 | Countermeasure Utilization: Percentage of people ages 6 months or older who received a seasonal flu vaccination. |
| 4 | Institutional Quality: Accreditation by the Emergency Management Accreditation Program. | 9 | Patient Safety: Percentage of hospitals with a top-quality ranking (“A” grade) on the Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade. |
| 5 | Institutional Quality: Size of the state public health budget, compared with the past year. | 10 | Health Security Surveillance: The public health laboratory has a plan for a six-to eight-week surge in testing capacity. |
Four states (Delaware, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, and Utah) moved from the low performance tier in last year’s report to the high tier in this year’s report. Six states (Illinois, Iowa, Maine, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Vermont) and the District of Columbia moved up from the middle tier to the high tier. No state fell from the high to the low tier but six moved from the middle to the low tier. Hawaii, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, South Carolina, and West Virginia.
“The increasing number of threats to Americans’ health in 2019, from floods to wildfires to vaping, demonstrate the critical importance of a robust public health system. Being prepared is often the difference between harm or no harm during health emergencies and requires four things: planning, dedicated funding, interagency and jurisdictional cooperation, and a skilled public health workforce,” said John Auerbach, President and CEO of Trust for America’s Health.
“While this year’s report shows that, as a nation, we are more prepared to deal with public health emergencies, we’re still not as prepared as we should be. More planning and investment are necessary to saves lives,” Auerbach said.
TFAH’s analysis found that:
The report includes recommended policy actions that the federal government, states and the healthcare sector should take to improve the nation’s ability to protect the public’s health during emergencies.
Other sections of the report describe how the public health system was critical to the vaping crisis response, how health inequities put some communities at greater risk during an emergency, and the needs of people with disabilities during an emergency.
Read the full text report |
January 30, 2020
by Jessie Hellmann
The Hill
Coronavirus could strain already under-resourced public health system.
“We need capacity at those agencies to handle more than one significant issue at the same time and now we just don’t have that level of support,” said John Auerbach, TFAH’s president and ceo tells The Hill Newspaper.
(Washington, DC – January 30, 2020) Newly released mortality data from 2018 show the first increase in Americans’ life expectancy since 2014, and the first decline in the rate of drug overdose deaths, including opioid overdoses, since 2012. The year also saw an increase in suicide and in overdose deaths involving synthetic opioids, cocaine, and psychostimulants (a category that includes drugs like methamphetamine, amphetamine, and methylphenidate). The topline trends on mortality and opioids—released by the National Center for Health Statistics on January 30—are heartening after years of alarming trends, but suicides continue to rise, and drug overdoses remain a major public health issue that requires vigilance from policymakers to ensure sustained gains.
Key findings from today’s reports:
Drug Overdose Deaths, 1999-2018 (Rates age-adjusted)
| Year | Deaths | Deaths per 100,000 |
| 1999 | 16,849 | 6.1 |
| 2000 | 17,415 | 6.2 |
| 2001 | 19,394 | 6.8 |
| 2002 | 23,518 | 8.2 |
| 2003 | 25,785 | 8.9 |
| 2004 | 27,424 | 9.4 |
| 2005 | 29,813 | 10.1 |
| 2006 | 34,425 | 11.5 |
| 2007 | 36,010 | 11.9 |
| 2008 | 36,450 | 11.9 |
| 2009 | 37,004 | 11.9 |
| 2010 | 38,329 | 12.3 |
| 2011 | 41,340 | 13.2 |
| 2012 | 41,502 | 13.1 |
| 2013 | 43,982 | 13.8 |
| 2014 | 47,055 | 14.7 |
| 2015 | 52,404 | 16.3 |
| 2016 | 63,632 | 19.8 |
| 2017 | 70,237 | 21.7 |
| 2018 | 67,367 | 20.7 |
Source National Vital Statistics System, National Center for Health Statistics
2018 Drug Overdose Deaths by State
| State | Deaths | Deaths per 100,000 |
| Alabama | 775 | 16.6 |
| Alaska | 110 | 14.6 |
| Arizona | 1670 | 23.8 |
| Arkansas | 444 | 15.7 |
| California | 5348 | 12.8 |
| Colorado | 995 | 16.8 |
| Connecticut | 1069 | 30.7 |
| Delaware | 401 | 43.8 |
| DC | 254 | 35.4 |
| Florida | 4698 | 22.8 |
| Georgia | 1404 | 13.2 |
| Hawaii | 213 | 14.3 |
| Idaho | 250 | 14.6 |
| Illinois | 2722 | 21.3 |
| Indiana | 1629 | 25.6 |
| Iowa | 287 | 9.6 |
| Kansas | 345 | 12.4 |
| Kentucky | 1315 | 30.9 |
| Louisiana | 1140 | 25.4 |
| Maine | 345 | 27.9 |
| Maryland | 2324 | 37.2 |
| Massachusetts | 2241 | 32.8 |
| Michigan | 2591 | 26.6 |
| Minnesota | 636 | 11.5 |
| Mississippi | 310 | 10.8 |
| Missouri | 1610 | 27.5 |
| Montana | 125 | 12.2 |
| Nebraska | 138 | 7.4 |
| Nevada | 688 | 21.2 |
| New Hampshire | 452 | 35.8 |
| New Jersey | 2900 | 33.1 |
| New Mexico | 537 | 26.7 |
| New York | 3697 | 18.4 |
| North Carolina | 2259 | 22.4 |
| North Dakota | 70 | 10.2 |
| Ohio | 3980 | 35.9 |
| Oklahoma | 716 | 18.4 |
| Oregon | 547 | 12.6 |
| Pennsylvania | 4415 | 36.1 |
| Rhode Island | 317 | 30.1 |
| South Carolina | 1125 | 22.6 |
| South Dakota | 57 | 6.9 |
| Tennessee | 1823 | 27.5 |
| Texas | 3005 | 10.4 |
| Utah | 624 | 21.2 |
| Vermont | 153 | 26.6 |
| Virginia | 1448 | 17.1 |
| Washington | 1164 | 14.8 |
| West Virginia | 856 | 51.5 |
| Wisconsin | 1079 | 19.2 |
| Wyoming | 66 | 11.1 |
Source National Vital Statistics System, National Center for Health Statistics
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Trust for America’s Health is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that promotes optimal health for every person and community and makes the prevention of illness and injury a national priority. @HealthyAmerica1
Well Being Trust is a national foundation dedicated to advancing the mental, social, and spiritual health of the nation. Created to include participation from organizations across sectors and perspectives, Well Being Trust is committed to innovating and addressing the most critical mental health challenges facing America, and to transforming individual and community well-being. www.wellbeingtrust.org @WellBeingTrust
TFAH, with funding from the John A. Hartford Foundation, is exploring the role of local public health departments in addressing the needs of the nation’s growing population of older adults. A key role of public health is collaboration and yet TFAH found that many public health departments weren’t aware of organizations in their communities that were already delivering programs and services targeted at improving the well-being of older adults. A recent interview with John Auerbach, TFAH’s President, and CEO, Anne De Biasi, TFAH’s Director of Policy Development, and Megan Wolfe, TFAH’s Policy Development Manager, examines the value of collaborations between public health and aging services and highlights how TFAH and The John A. Hartford Foundation are helping to facilitate these partnerships to help create Age-Friendly Public Health Systems. The interview is described in ASA’s Aging Today article, A Bridge Not So Far: A New Action Network Connects Public Health with Aging Services.
December 19, 2019
Yesterday, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit ruled the Affordable Care Act’s individual mandate is unconstitutional and directed the lower court judge, who has already ruled against the entire law, to determine how the latest ruling impacts the rest of the law.
Trust for America’s Health’s CEO John Auerbach issued the following statement:
“While millions of Americans wait in limbo as Texas v. U.S. continues through the courts, it’s important to remember how much is at stake. Millions of Americans could lose health coverage. Health insurance is a critical determinant of health. It is impossible for the nation to tackle our leading health crises – from the opioid crisis to infectious disease outbreaks – without access to high quality health care for everyone.
There are also major implications for public health. If the entire law is overturned, it would gut the nation’s investment in public health by eliminating over $15 billion over the next 10 years (FY2021-FY2030) for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and other public health agencies. The Prevention and Public Health Fund, a dedicated funding stream specifically designated for public health and prevention, funds programs in every state to expand immunizations, prevent suicide, modernize laboratory and epidemiology services to detect and contain disease outbreaks, prevent childhood lead poisoning, and prevent diabetes and other chronic conditions.
The decision also threatens the requirement that insurers cover recommended clinical preventive services without cost-sharing. These provisions have meant that an estimated additional 71 million Americans now have access to vaccines, tobacco cessation services, blood pressure and diabetes screenings and other life-saving services previously inaccessible to them.
Overturning the law would have a profound effect on the health of every American, regardless of where they live. Every state has benefited from investments in public health and prevention. Millions of Americans have gained access to health coverage and access to preventive services.”