Archives: Press Releases

Press Release on health-related topics.

Trust for America’s Health Releases Letter Detailing Strong Opposition to the Reconciliation Instructions Proposed by the House Energy and Commerce Committee

Eliminating the Prevention and Public Health Fund—which has the support of more than 900 organizations—would set Public Health back by a Decade

 

Washington, D.C., September 29, 2015 – Trust for America’s Health (TFAH) released a letter detailing strong opposition to the Reconciliation Instructions proposed for consideration by the House Energy and Commerce Committee, stating that eliminating funding for the Prevention and Public Health Fund would set public health back by a decade.

The letter also notes that more than 900 state and national organizations have already pledged their support for the Prevention Fund and details the successes of the Fund.

The letter, in part, reads:

“In the first six years since its inception, the Prevention Fund has invested nearly $5.25 billion in resources to states, communities, tribal and community organizations in support of community-based prevention, including tobacco use prevention, healthy eating and active living, as well as childhood immunizations and clinical prevention. Decimating the Prevention Fund in this manner would dramatically impede efforts underway to improve health, including:

  • The Preventive Health and Health Services Block Grant, which was doubled under the Prevention Fund and provides all 50 states, the District of Columbia, two American Indian tribes, and eight U.S. territories with flexible funding to address their unique public health issues at the state and community level.
  • Expanding Access to Cancer Screenings: In FY 2015, the Fund provided $104 million for the National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program, which is helping states across the country provide cancer screenings to high risk women who are uninsured or underinsured.
  • The successful Tips from Former Smokers campaign, which in just its first three months inspired more than 1.6 million people to try to quit smoking, and more than 100,000 smokers have quit for good.
  • Funding for the section 317 childhood immunization program, which has been vital to preventing and responding to measles outbreaks, and epidemiology and laboratory capacity in all states, which are key to preventing and containing infectious disease outbreaks.

“These are just a few examples of the work underway thanks to the Prevention Fund. Massively reducing the Fund would set back public health by a decade, and would slash life-saving investments in every state that are desperately needed. For example, chronic diseases such as cancer, diabetes, lung disease, heart disease, and stroke are now responsible for seven out of 10 deaths and account for 86 percent of health care spending in America. An approach to deficit reconciliation that cuts prevention may in fact have the opposite effect – less prevention of illness and disease and increased future health care spending.”

 

###

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.

New Report Finds 23 of 25 States with Highest Rates of Obesity are in the South and Midwest

Obesity rates at or above 30 percent in 42 states for Blacks, 30 states for Latinos, 13 states for Whites

Washington, D.C., September 21, 2015 – U.S. adult obesity rates remained mostly steady―but high―this past year, increasing in Kansas, Minnesota, New Mexico, Ohio and Utah and remaining stable in the rest, according to The State of Obesity: Better Policies for a Healthier America, a report from the Trust for America’s Health (TFAH) and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF).

Arkansas had the highest adult obesity rate at 35.9 percent, while Colorado had the lowest at 21.3 percent. The 12th annual report found that rates of obesity now exceed 35 percent in three states (Arkansas, West Virginia and Mississippi), are at or above 30 percent in 22 states and are not below 21 percent in any. In 1980, no state had a rate above 15 percent, and in 1991, no state had a rate above 20. Now, nationally, more than 30 percent of adults, nearly 17 percent of 2 to 19 year olds and more than 8 percent of children ages 2 to 5 are obese.

Obesity puts some 78 million Americans at an increased risk for a range of health problems, including heart disease, diabetes and cancer.

“Efforts to prevent and reduce obesity over the past decade have made a difference. Stabilizing rates is an accomplishment. However, given the continued high rates, it isn’t time to celebrate,” said Jeffrey Levi, PhD, executive director of TFAH. “We’ve learned that if we invest in effective programs, we can see signs of progress. But, we still haven’t invested enough to really tip the scales yet.”

Other key findings from The State of Obesity include:

  • Obesity rates differ by region, age and race/ethnicity.
  • 7 of the 10 states with the highest rates are in the South and 23 of the 25 states with the highest rates of obesity are in the South and Midwest.
  • 9 of the 10 states with the highest rates of diabetes are in the South. Diabetes rates increased in eight states – Colorado, Hawaii, Kansas, Massachusetts, Missouri, Montana, Ohio and Pennsylvania.
  • American Indian/Alaska Natives have the highest adult obesity rate, 54 percent, of any racial or ethnic group.
  • Nationally, obesity rates are 38 percent higher among Blacks than Whites; and more than 26 percent higher among Latinos than Whites. (Obesity rates for Blacks: 47.8 percent; Latinos: 42.5 percent; and Whites: 32.6 percent.)
  • Adult obesity rates are at or above 40 percent for Blacks in 14 states.
  • Adult obesity rates are at or above 30 percent in: 42 states for Blacks; 30 states for Latinos; and 13 states for Whites.
  • Obesity rates are 26 percent higher among middle-age adults than among younger adults― rates rise from 30 percent of 20- to 39- year olds to nearly 40 percent of 40- to 59-year-olds.
  • More than 6 percent of adults are severely obese – more than a 125 percent increase in the past two decades. Around 5 percent of children are already severely obese by the ages of 6 to 11.
  • Among children and teens (2 to 19 years old), 22.5 percent of Latinos, more than 20 percent of Blacks and 14.1 percent of Whites are obese.
  • Prevention among children is key. It is easier and more effective to prevent overweight and obesity in children, by helping every child maintain a healthy weight, than it is to reverse trends later. The biggest dividends are gained by starting in early childhood, promoting good nutrition and physical activity so children enter kindergarten at a healthy weight.
  • Healthy communities can help people lead healthy lives. Small changes that make it easier and more affordable to buy healthy foods and beverages and be physically active can lead to big differences. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, The New York Academy of Medicine, and other experts have identified a range of policies and programs (e.g., improving school nutrition, physical activity and lifestyle interventions, health screenings, walking programs) that can help create healthier communities. Lower-income communities often face higher hurdles, and need more targeted efforts.

“In order to build a national Culture of Health, we must help all children, no matter who they are or where they live, grow up at a healthy weight,” said Risa Lavizzo-Mourey, president and CEO of RWJF. “We know that when we take comprehensive steps to help families be more active and eat healthier foods, we can see progress. Now we must extend those efforts and that progress to every community in the country.”

The State of Obesity also reviews key programs that can help prevent and address obesity by improving nutrition in schools, child care and food assistance; increasing physical activity before, during and after school; expanding healthcare coverage for preventing and treating obesity; making healthy affordable food and safe places to be active more accessible in neighborhoods, such as through Complete Streets and healthy food financing initiatives; increasing healthy food options via public-private partnerships; and creating and sustaining policies that help all children maintain a healthy weight and adults be as healthy as possible, no matter their weight.

This is the 12th annual edition of The State of Obesity (formerly known as the F as in Fat report series) report. The full report, with state rankings in all categories and updated interactive maps, charts and graphs, is available at http://stateofobesity.org. Follow the conversation at #StateofObesity.

2014 STATE-BY-STATE ADULT OBESITY RATE

Based on an analysis of new state-by-state data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance Survey, adult obesity rates by state from highest to lowest were:

Note: 1 = Highest rate of adult obesity, 51 = lowest rate of adult obesity.

1. Arkansas (35.9); 2. West Virginia (35.7); 3. Mississippi (35.5); 4. Louisiana (34.9); 5. Alabama (33.5); 6. Oklahoma (33.0); 7. Indiana (32.7); 8. Ohio (32.6); 9. North Dakota (32.2); 10. South Carolina (32.1); 11. Texas (31.9); 12. Kentucky (31.6); 13. Kansas (31.3); 14. (tie) Tennessee (31.2) and Wisconsin (31.2); 16. Iowa (30.9); 17. (tie) Delaware (30.7) and Michigan (30.7); 19. Georgia (30.5); 20. (tie) Missouri (30.2) and Nebraska (30.2) and Pennsylvania (30.2); 23. South Dakota (29.8); 24. (tie) Alaska (29.7) and North Carolina (29.7); 26. Maryland (29.6); 27. Wyoming (29.5); 28. Illinois (29.3); 29. (tie) Arizona (28.9) and Idaho (28.9); 31. Virginia (28.5); 32. New Mexico (28.4); 33. Maine (28.2); 34. Oregon (27.9); 35. Nevada (27.7); 36. Minnesota (27.6); 37. New Hampshire (27.4); 38. Washington (27.3); 39. (tie) New York (27.0) and Rhode Island (27.0); 41. New Jersey (26.9); 42. Montana (26.4); 43. Connecticut (26.3); 44. Florida (26.2); 45. Utah (25.7); 46. Vermont (24.8); 47. California (24.7); 48. Massachusetts (23.3); 49. Hawaii (22.1); 50. District of Columbia (21.7); 51. Colorado (21.3).

 

###

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. 

For more than 40 years the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation has worked to improve health and health care. We are striving to build a national Culture of Health that will enable all to live longer, healthier lives now and for generations to come. For more information, visit www.rwjf.org. Follow the Foundation on Twitter at www.rwjf.org/twitter or on Facebook at www.rwjf.org/facebook.

###

Trust for America’s Health Statement on EPA’s Clean Power Plan: Essential for Safeguarding the Climate, Health and Wealth of the United States

Washington, D.C., August 3, 2015 – The following is a statement from Jeffrey Levi, PhD, executive director of the Trust for America’s Health (TFAH) on the final carbon pollution standards for new and existing source power plants, issued today by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

“Today’s announcement finalizing the Clean Power Plan is an important step forward toward turning these proposals into reality and safeguarding our climate, health and wealth.

Climate change poses serious public health concerns — from natural disasters to reduced water resources to new insect-based infectious diseases associated with higher temperatures to worsening air quality to the effects of the extreme weather we’ve seen across the country this summer.

Issuing carbon pollutions standards for new and existing power plants is one essential piece of a strategy – but we cannot stop here.  The 2015 Lancet Commission on Health and Climate Change mapped out the impact of climate change and measures that could be taken to protect the health of humans and the planet – and how, if we work urgently and expeditiously, we can turn the tide and achieve promising results.”

###

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.

TFAH Releases Issue Brief – The Clean Water Rule: Clearing up Confusion to Protect Public Health

Washington, D.C., July 23, 2015 – Today, the Trust for America’s Health (TFAH) released an issue brief examining the country’s Clean Water Rule and how it will improve and protect Americans’ health and restore guaranteed protections for a range of waters.

The brief, The Clean Water Rule: Clearing up Confusion to Protect Public Health, finds that, despite advances in water management, waterborne illnesses still pose a serious threat to Americans’ health.  Even though water-related illnesses are largely underreported, the United States annually experiences a significant number of waterborne illnesses. In fact, each year around 30 outbreaks and 1,000 reported drinking water-related cases and around 24 outbreaks and 1,300 recreational water-related cases occur.

According to the brief, water pollution affects Americans’ health on a regular basis. In the summer of 2014, the country witnessed a dramatic example of the effects of contaminated waterways when a toxic algal event in Lake Erie shut off the main drinking water supply for 400,000 people in Toledo, Ohio.

In another recent example, in Charleston, West Virginia, hundreds of thousands of people were unable to use their tap water because of toxic substances in the water supply. And, across the country, industrial pollution, animal and human waste, and waterborne pathogens are often found in these headwaters—from which 117 million Americans get their drinking water.

To help resolve these issues, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Army Corps of Engineers — which implement the Clean Water Act—held more than 400 stakeholder meetings, sifted through  more than a million public comments (of which 87 percent favored the action), and developed a detailed scientific report, Connectivity of Streams and Wetlands to Downstream Waters, that examined more than 1,200 peer-reviewed publications on the connections between upstream and downstream bodies of water.

These actions resulted in the creation of the Clean Water Rule, which clarifies the scope of the headwaters that are protected under the Clean Water Act. According to the brief, by providing protection for these waters, the Clean Water Rule will safeguard headwaters, better hold industrial polluters of headwaters accountable and greatly improve the nation’s health.

“We want to un-muddy the waters – the Clean Water Act’s legacy has been to ensure Americans have sustainable access to a healthy water supply,” said Jeffrey Levi, PhD, executive director of TFAH. “Moving forward, the Clean Water Rule will further the Act’s great successes by strengthening protections for our nation’s water supply and reducing instances of waterborne illness. The Rule should be administered—without delay or further changes—to avoid putting the public’s health at further risk.”

The brief also notes that protecting America’s headwaters is popular across political lines. A recent poll found that 80 percent of American voters favor the Rule, with half of voters saying they strongly favor it. Support for the rule cuts across party lines, with large majorities of Democrats, Independents and Republicans in favor.

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.

TFAH Statement: Lancet Commission and White House Summit Highlight Urgent Need to Address Climate Change Health Threats

Washington, DC, June 23, 2015 – The following is a statement from Jeffrey Levi, PhD, executive director of the Trust for America’s Health (TFAH) on the White House Climate and Health Summit and release of the 2015 Lancet Commission on Health and Climate change report this morning.

“For too long, the country has buried its head in the sand when it comes to the threats climate change poses to our health.

The new Lancet Commission on Health and Climate Change report raises the stakes, clearing defining the consequences of inaction – but also presents a silver lining of how action now can help mitigate the problems of tomorrow.

That is why the White House Climate and Health Summit on Tuesday is so critical – bringing together U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy, Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Gina McCarthy and leading experts to help build a path forward. But, to have a real ongoing impact, we need more than a one day forum. We need a sustained approach—across agencies—that strategically aligns programs and policies to address climate change and health.

This sustained approach should include the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services committing to ensuring that all its programs address the impact of climate change on health and the White House mobilizing every federal agency to consider the health implications of climate change when performing their duties.

We know that, as climate and weather patterns shift, they contribute to the emergence of new diseases and the reemergence or spread of diseases that were nearly eradicated or thought to be under control. As changes in temperature and weather patterns allow pathogens to expand into different geographic regions, some vector- and zoonotic-borne diseases may increase along with foodborne and waterborne diseases. Excessively high temperatures, heavy downpours, wildfires, severe droughts, permafrost thawing, ocean acidification, sea-level rise and other extreme weather events all have implications for public health.

In the Trust for America’s Health annual Outbreaks: Protecting Americans from Infectious Diseases report, we found that only 15 states have complete climate change adaptation plans – including planning for the impact of climate change on human health.

We know that climate change is affecting every sector of American society, making addressing this issue the urgent responsibility of every government program and agency. There’s no time like the present to safeguard the future health and wealth of the country.”

 

###

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.

Deaths from Injuries Up Significantly Over Past Four Years in 17 States; Majority of States Score 5 or Lower out of 10 on Injury Prevention Report Card

Washington, D.C., June 17, 2015– According to The Facts Hurt: A State-By-State Injury Prevention Policy Report, West Virginia has the highest numbers of injury-related deaths of any state (97.9 per 100,000 people), at a rate more than double of the state with the lowest rate, New York (40.3 per 100,000 people). In the past four years, the number of injury deaths increased significantly in 17 states, remained stable in 24 states and decreased in 9 states. The national rate is 58.4 per 100,000 people. Injuries are the leading cause of death for Americans ages 1 to 44 – and are responsible for nearly 193,000 deaths per year.

Drug overdoses are the leading cause of injury deaths in the United States, at nearly 44,000 per year. These deaths have more than doubled in the past 14 years, and half of them are related to prescription drugs (22,000 per year).  Overdose deaths now exceed motor vehicle-related deaths in 36 states and Washington, D.C.

West Virginia has the highest number of drug overdose deaths (33.5 per 100,000 people) – accounting for more than one-third of the state’s overall injury deaths, rates are lowest in North Dakota (at 2.6 per 100,000 people). In the past four years, drug overdose death rates have significantly increased in 26 states and Washington, D.C. and decreased in six.

The Facts Hurt report, released today by the Trust for America’s Health (TFAH) and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) also includes a report card of 10 key indicators of leading evidence-based strategies that help reduce injuries and violence. The indicators were developed in consultation with top injury prevention experts from the Safe States Alliance and the Society for the Advancement of Violence and Injury Research (SAVIR).

Twenty-nine states and Washington, D.C. scored a five or lower out of the 10 key injury-prevention indicators. New York received the highest score of nine out of a possible 10, while four states scored the lowest, Florida, Iowa, Missouri and Montana, with two out of 10.

“Injuries are not just acts of fate. Research shows they are pretty predictable and preventable,” said Jeffrey Levi, PhD, executive director of TFAH. “This report illustrates how evidence-based strategies can actually help prevent and reduce motor vehicle crashes, head injuries, fires, falls, homicide, suicide, assaults, sexual violence, child abuse, drug misuse, overdoses and more.  It’s not rocket science, but it does require common sense and investment in good public health practice.”

Some key findings include:

  • Drug abuse: More than 2 million Americans misuse prescription drugs. The prescription drug epidemic is also contributing to an increase in heroin use; the number of new heroin users has doubled in the past seven years. Key report indicators include:
    • 34 states and Washington, D.C. have “rescue drug” laws in place to expand access to, and use of naloxone – a prescription drug that can be effective in counteracting an overdose – by lay administrators. This is double the number of states with these laws in 2013 (17 and Washington, D.C.)
    • While every state except Missouri has some form of Prescription Drug Monitoring Program (PDMP) in place to help reduce doctor shopping and mis-prescribing, only half (25) require mandatory use by healthcare providers in at least some circumstances.
  • Motor vehicle deaths: Rates have declined 25 percent in the past decade (to 33,000 per year). Key report indicators include:
    • 21 states have drunk driving laws that require ignition interlocks for all offenders;
    • While most states have Graduated Drivers Licenses that restrict times when teens can drive, 10 states restrict nighttime driving for teens starting at 10 pm; and
    • 35 states and Washington, D.C. require car safety or booster seats for children up to age 8.
  • Homicides: Rates have dropped 42 percent in the past 20 years (to 16,000 per year). The rate of Black male youth (ages 10 to 24) homicide victims is 10 times higher than for the overall population. One in three female homicide victims is killed by an intimate partner. A key report indicator includes:
    • 31 states have homicide rates at or below the national goal of 5.5 per every 100,000 people.
  • Suicides: Rates have remained stable for the past 20 years (41,000 per year).  More than one million adults attempt suicide and 17 percent of teens seriously consider suicide each year.  Seventy percent of suicides deaths are among White males.
  • Falls: One in three Americans over the age of 64 experiences a serious fall each year, falls are the most common nonfatal injuries, and the number of fall injuries and deaths are expected to increase as the Baby Boomer cohort ages. A key report indicator includes:
    • 13 states have unintentional fall-related death rates under the national goal (of 7.2 per 100,000 people – unintentional falls).
  • Traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) from sports/recreation among children have increased by 60 percent in the past decade.

“Injuries are persistent public health problems.  New troubling trends, like the prescription drug overdose epidemic, increasing rates of fall-related deaths and traumatic brain injuries, are serious and require immediate response,” said Corrine Peek-Asa, MPH, PhD, Professor and Associate Dean for Research at the College of Public Health, University of Iowa. “But, we cannot afford to neglect or divert funds from ongoing concerns like motor vehicle crashes, drownings, assaults and suicides. We spend less than the cost of a box of bandages, at just $.028 per person per year on core injury prevention programs in this country.”

“This report provides state leaders and policymakers with the information needed to make evidence-based decisions to not only save lives, but also save state and taxpayers’ money,” said Amber Williams, Executive Director of the Safe States Alliance. “The average injury-related death in the U.S. costs over $1 million in medical costs and lost wages. Preventing these injuries will allow for investments in other critical areas including education and infrastructure.”

The report provides a series of specific, research-based recommendations for reducing the harm caused by a range of types of injury and violence – with a focus on prevention. It was supported by a grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and is available on TFAH’s website.

Score Summary: 

A full list of all of the indicators and scores, listed below, is available along with the full report on TFAH’s web site. For the state-by-state scoring, states received one point for achieving an indicator or zero points if they did not achieve the indicator. Zero is the lowest possible overall score, 10 is the highest.

  • 9 out of 10: New York
  • 8 out of 10: Delaware
  • 7 out of 10: California, New Jersey, North Carolina, Tennessee, Washington and West Virginia
  • 6 out of 10: Alaska, Colorado, Hawaii, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Minnesota, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island and Virginia
  • 5 out of 10: Alabama, Arkansas, Connecticut, Georgia, Illinois, Kansas, Massachusetts, Oklahoma, Utah, Vermont and Wisconsin
  • 4 out of 10: Arizona, District of Columbia, Idaho, Maryland, Michigan, Mississippi, New Hampshire, North Dakota and Pennsylvania
  • 3 out of 10: Nebraska, Ohio, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas and Wyoming
  • 2 out of 10: Florida, Iowa, Missouri and Montana

The 10 indicators include:

  • Does the state have a primary seat belt law? (34 states and Washington, D.C. meet the indicator and 16 states do not.)
  • Does the state require mandatory ignition interlocks for all convicted drunk drivers, even first-time offenders? (21 states meet the indicator and 29 states and Washington, D.C. do not.)
  • Does the state require car seats or booster seats for children up to at least the age of 8? (35 states and Washington, D.C. meet the indicator and 15 do not.)
  • Does the state have Graduated Driver Licensing laws – restricting driving for teens starting at 10 pm? (11 states meet the indicator and 39 states and Washington, D.C. do not.  Note a number of other states have restrictions starting at 11 pm or 12 pm.)
  • Does the state require bicycle helmets for all children? (21 states and Washington, D.C. meet the indicator and 29 states do not.)
  • Does the state have fewer homicides than the national goal of 5.5 per 100,000 people established by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) (2011-2013 data)? (31 states meet the indicator and 19 states and Washington, D.C. do not.)
  • Does the state have a child abuse and neglect victimization rate at or below the national rate of 9.1 per 1,000 children (2013 data)? (25 states meet the indicator and 25 states and Washington, D.C. do not.)
  • Does the state have fewer deaths from unintentional falls than the national goal of 7.2 per 100,000 people established by HHS (2011-2013 data)? (13 states meet the indicator and 37 states and Washington, D.C. do not.)
  • Does the state require mandatory use of data from the prescription drug monitoring program by at least some healthcare providers? (25 states meet the indicator and 25 states and Washington, D.C. do not.)
  • Does the state have laws in place to expand access to, and use of, naloxone, an overdose rescue drug by laypersons? (34 states and D.C. meet the indicator and 16 states do not.)

STATE-BY-STATE INJURY DEATH RANKINGS

Note: Rates include all injury deaths for all ages for injuries caused by injuries and violence (intentional and unintentional). They are based on a methodology used to compare rates across all states – including using three-year averages of the most recent data (2011-2013). National data sources may differ from how some states calculate their data (because of use of different time frames, inclusion/exclusions, etc.). 1 = Highest rate of injury fatalities, 51 = lowest rate of injury fatalities. The 2011-2013 data are from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Web-based Injury Statistics Query and Reporting System — age-adjusted using the year 2000 to standardize the data. This methodology, recommended by the CDC, compensates for any potential anomalies or unusual changes due to the specific sample in any given year in any given state. States with statistically significant (p<0.05) increases since 2007-2009 are noted with an asterisk (*), while states with a statistically significant decrease are noted with two asterisks (**).

1. West Virginia (97.9*); 2. New Mexico (92.7**); 3. Oklahoma (88.4*); 4. Montana (85.1); 5. Wyoming (84.6); 6. Alaska (83.5); 7. Kentucky (81.7*); 8. Mississippi (81.0); 9. Tennessee (76.7); 10. Arkansas (75.3); 11. Louisiana (75.3**); 12. Arizona (73.4); 13. Alabama (73.3); 14. Utah (72.8*); 15. Missouri (72.4); 16. Colorado (70.7); 17. South Carolina (69.9); 18. Idaho (69.1); 19. (tie) Nevada (67.1**) and South Dakota (67.1*); 21. Vermont (66.0); 22. Kansas (65.0*); 23. Pennsylvania (64.3*); 24. Ohio (63.9*); 25. Indiana (63.7*); 26. North Carolina (62.1**); 27. Wisconsin (62.0*); 28. Oregon (61.8); 29. Florida (61.3**); 30. Michigan (60.6*); 31. Maine (60.1); 32. Delaware (60.0); 33. North Dakota (59.3); 34. Rhode Island (58.6*); 35. Georgia (58.1**); 36. Washington (57.1); 37. New Hampshire (56.6*); 38. Iowa (56.4*); 39. Texas (55.3**); 40. Minnesota (54.9*); 41. District of Columbia (53.7); 42. Maryland (53.4**); 43. Nebraska (52.5); 44. Virginia (52.0); 45. Illinois (50.0); 46. Connecticut (49.6); 47. Hawaii (48.8); 48. California (44.6**); 49. New Jersey (44.0*); 50. Massachusetts (42.9); 51. New York (40.3*).

STATE-BY-STATE DRUG OVERDOSE DEATH RANKINGS

Note: Rates include drug overdose deaths, for 2011-2013, a three-year average. 1 = Highest rate of drug overdose fatalities, 51 = lowest rate of drug overdose fatalities. States with statistically significant (p<0.05) increases since 2007-2009 are noted with an asterisk (*), while states with a statistically significant decrease are noted with two asterisks (**). States with a § have an overdose death rate higher than the state’s overall motor vehicle mortality rate for 2011 to 2013.

1. West Virginia (33.5*§); 2. (tie) Kentucky (24.6*§) and New Mexico (24.6§); 4. Nevada (21.6*§); 5. Utah (21.5§); 6. Oklahoma (20.0§); 7. Rhode Island (19.4*§); 8. Ohio (19.2*§); 9. Pennsylvania (18.9§); 10. Arizona (17.8*§); 11. Tennessee (17.7*§); 12. Delaware (17.1*§); 13. Wyoming (16.4*); 14. Missouri (16.2*§); 15. Indiana (16.0*§); 16. Colorado (15.5§); 17. Alaska (15.3§); 18. (tie) Michigan (14.6§) and New Hampshire (14.6§); 20. Louisiana (14.5§); 21. (tie) District of Columbia (13.8*§) and Massachusetts (13.8§); 23. (tie) Florida (13.7**§) and Washington (13.7**§); 25. Montana (13.6); 26. Maryland (13.3*§); 27. (tie) New Jersey (13.2*§) and North Carolina (13.2*§); 29. (tie) Connecticut (13.1*§) and Wisconsin (13.1*§); 31. Vermont (13.0§); 32. South Carolina (12.9§); 33. Idaho (12.7*); 34. Oregon (12.4§); 35. Arkansas (12.3**); 36. (tie) Alabama (12.2**) and Maine (12.2**§); 38. Illinois (11.8*§); 39. Hawaii (11.4*§); 40. Kansas (11.2); 41. (tie) California (10.7*§) and Georgia (10.7*) and Mississippi (10.7); 44. New York (10.4*§); 45. (tie) Texas (9.6) and Virginia (9.6*); 47. Minnesota (9.3*§); 48. Iowa (8.8*); 49. Nebraska (7.2*); 50. South Dakota (6.5); 51. North Dakota (2.6**).

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.

For more than 40 years the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation has worked to improve health and health care. We are striving to build a national Culture of Health that will enable all to live longer, healthier lives now and for generations to come. For more information, visit www.rwjf.org. Follow the Foundation on Twitter at www.rwjf.org/twitter or on Facebook at www.rwjf.org/facebook.

The Safe States Alliance is a national, non-profit organization and professional association whose mission is to strengthen the practice of injury and violence prevention.

SAVIR is a national professional organization dedicated to fostering excellence in the science of preventing and treating violence and injury. Our vision is a safer world through violence and injury research and its application to practice. 

Trust for America’s Health’s Statement on the Environmental Protection Agency’s Latest Clean Water Act Rule: Important for the Nation’s Health

Washington, DC, May 27, 2015 – The Trust for America’s Health (TFAH) is pleased the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has released a final rule clarifying the definition of Waters of the United States under the Clean Water Act. This will enable relevant agencies to better safeguard our nation’s headwaters, streams and wetlands and ensure the water we drink is free from pollution.

The following is a statement by Jeffrey Levi, PhD, Executive Director of TFAH.

“TFAH applauds the EPA and the Obama Administration for advancing this final rule, which applies to the headwaters that supply more than 117 million Americans with their drinking water. It is vital for the nation’s health to ensure everyone has access to safe and clean water.

Because these headwaters are one source of many rivers and streams, they are a precious health resource. Yet, today carcinogens, crude oil and harmful bacteria are still being dumped upstream—with little oversight—and flowing down to our communities and into one in three American’s drinking glasses.

With this final rule, we are one step closer to ensuring one of our nation’s largest supplies of water is safe to drink.

TFAH looks forward to working with federal, state and local governments, the public health community, and other critical partners to monitor ongoing implementation of this rule.

Each day we delay is another we put Americans’ health and lives at risk.”

###

 

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. 

Collaborative Applauds HHS Move to Expand Efforts to Confront Opioid Abuse Epidemic

WASHINGTON, D.C. (March 27, 2015) – The Collaborative for Effective Prescription Opioid Policies (CEPOP) provided a ringing endorsement today for new actions to confront the opioid abuse epidemic announced March 26 by Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia M. Burwell. The Administration’s initiative includes new funding to support health professional decision-making, the use of naloxone (a medication used to counter the effects of opioid overdose), and the expansion of medication-assisted treatment.

“Far too many families have been devastated by this epidemic,” observed CEPOP co-founder, Hon. Mary Bono. “These strategies are part of a comprehensive and coordinated effort to prevent opioid addiction and save lives. I’m encouraged by these positive steps.”

Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America Chairman and CEO and CEPOP co-founder General Arthur Dean also commented that “the organizations participating in our Collaborative are dedicated to developing and advocating for solutions like these. I am confident that CEPOP will be mobilizing support for initiatives like this both in the federal budget process and on the ground in communities that are so deeply affected by this crisis.”

Jeffrey Levi, PhD, Executive Director of Trust for America’s Health and CEPOP co-founder, said “by promoting evidence-based strategies, these actions will help coordinate and align public health’s and traditional healthcare’s efforts to reduce opioid dependence and address the overdose crisis. CEPOP will continue to build a diverse and engaged group of organizations that advocate for a wide range of policy solutions to the opioid epidemic at the local, state and national level.”

About CEPOP

The Collaborative for Effective Prescription Opioid Policies (CEPOP) brings together a broad array of stakeholders interested in the appropriate use of opioid medications. Specifically, CEPOP supports a comprehensive and balanced public policy agenda that reduces abuse and promotes treatment options, both for those living with pain and confronting addiction. CEPOP’s advocacy is focused on driving actions in the public sector that develop and deploy evidence-based solutions to these challenges.

Measles Vaccination Rates for Preschoolers Below 90 Percent in 17 States

February 4, 2015

Washington, D.C., February 4, 2015 – An analysis released today by Trust for America’s Health (TFAH) finds that fewer than 90 percent of children ages 19-to-35 months old have received the recommended vaccination against measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) in 17 states.

New Hampshire has the highest MMR vaccination rate for preschoolers at 96.3 percent, and Colorado, Ohio and West Virginia have the lowest at 86 percent. (Data based on the latest completed National Immunization Survey from 2013). No state in the Northeast was below 90 percent, while eight states in the South, five in the West and four in the Midwest had rates below 90 percent. Nationally 91.1 percent of preschoolers are vaccinated.

“Sadly, there is a persistent preschooler vaccination gap in the United States. We’re seeing now how leaving children unnecessarily vulnerable to threats like the measles can have a tragic result,” said Jeffrey Levi, PhD, executive director of TFAH. “We need to redouble our national commitment to improving vaccination rates.”

Healthy People 2020 set 90 percent as the baseline national goal for preschooler MMR vaccinations. Reaching the national rate of 91.1 percent has helped reduce measles rates by 99 percent. Achieving even higher vaccination rates would help protect even more individuals and increase “herd immunity” protection for the wider community. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) recommend that every child receive a first dose of the MMR vaccine after reaching the age of 12 months old. A second MMR dose is recommended for 4-to-6 year olds.

“It is so important that communities maintain high levels of MMR vaccination—because measles is so infectious—and especially when outbreaks are occurring around them,” said Litjen (L.J) Tan, MS, PhD, chief strategy officer of the Immunization Action Coalition. “To have pockets where community immunity is below 90 percent is worrisome as they will be the ones most vulnerable to a case of measles exploding into an outbreak.”

Rates of preschooler vaccinations are typically lower than for school-age children, since they are not yet in the school system, which require vaccinations for children to attend. Among kindergarteners, 94.7 percent have been vaccinated for measles, with a high of 99.7 percent in Mississippi and a low of 81.7 percent in Colorado. States differ significantly in policies allowing parents to “opt-out” of the attendance requirements. Within states, even states with high MMR vaccination rates, there can be communities with groups of individuals who are unvaccinated, making these communities vulnerable to measles and other preventable diseases.

In January 2015, CDC issued a Health Advisory about an ongoing multi-state measles outbreak, which has been linked to more than 102 cases in 14 states so far. Most individuals who get the measles are not vaccinated – including infants. In 2000, measles was declared virtually eliminated in the United States, when cases dropped to around 60. Measles rates remained below 100 from 2002 to 2007, with many of those cases linked to overseas travel. In 2014, there was a surge in measles, with at least 23 outbreaks and more than 600 cases.

Measles is a highly contagious, viral illness that can lead to health complications, including pneumonia, encephalitis and eventually death. Prior to routine vaccination, measles infected approximately three to four million Americans, killed 400 to 500 individuals and led to 48,000 hospitalizations each year.

Vaccines undergo rigorous review and testing for effectiveness and safety by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) before they are released to market and safety is also tracked through several monitoring systems once they are in use. Numerous reviews, including by all of the existing studies by the Institute of Medicine (IOM), have concluded that the MMR vaccine is safe and has no causal link to developmental disorders.

Overall, there is a long-standing preschooler vaccination gap in the United States. More than 2 million preschoolers do not receive all recommended vaccinations on time: 27.4 percent do not receive the full childhood series (4:3:1:3:3:1:4); 27.4 percent do not receive the rotavirus vaccine; 18 percent do not receive the pneumococcal vaccine; 16.9 percent do not receive the diphtheria, tetanus and whooping cough vaccine; 9.2 percent do not receive all three doses of the hepatitis B vaccine; 8.8 percent do not receive the chickenpox vaccine; and 7.3 percent do not receive the polio vaccine.

In addition, many infants (by 13 months) do not receive all recommended vaccines: 43.2 percent do not receive the chickenpox vaccine; 12.6 percent do not receive the pneumococcal vaccine; 10.7 percent do not receive the meningitis, pneumonia and epiglottis Hib vaccine; 10.6 do not receive the diphtheria, tetanus and whooping cough vaccine; 15.4 percent do not receive all three doses of the hepatitis B vaccine; and 6.3 percent do not receive the polio vaccine.

Some key recommendations for improving vaccination rates include:

  • Increasing public education campaigns about the safety and effectiveness of vaccines;
  • Minimizing vaccine exemptions – states should enact and enable universal childhood vaccinations except where immunization is medically-contraindicated. Non-medical vaccine exemptions, including personal belief exemptions, enable higher rates of exemptions in those states that allow them;
  • Increasing provider education and vaccine standard of practice to help ensure providers are responsibly promoting the importance of vaccination to their patients and actively tracking whether patients have received all recommended vaccinations and providing them when they have not;
  • Bolstering immunization registries and tracking to help ensure children’s and adults’ immunizations are up-to-date, and providers can identify when an individual is missing a recommended vaccination. Immunizations registries should be integrated with electronic health records (EHRs) and be interoperable across providers, so, for instance, if a child goes to the doctor with a stomach virus or visits a specialist, they can easily flag if a child has not received a vaccine and can provide it then. There should also be increased education for providers to support and expand vaccinations as standard practice and to discuss and track vaccination histories with their patients;
  • Expanding alternate delivery sites – the National Vaccine Advisory Committee (NVAC) has recommended including expansion of vaccination services offered by pharmacists and other community immunization providers, vaccination at the workplace and increased vaccination by providers who care for pregnant women; and
  • Supporting expanded research and use of alternatives to syringe administration of vaccination – experiences with alternative delivery methods, such as using the nasal mist intranasal administration of live-attenuated influenza vaccine (LAIV), have been well-received by the public and have contributed to increased uptake in pediatric and adult vaccinations.

**************************************

State-by-state estimated vaccination coverage with the recommended one or more does of measles, mumps, rubella (MMR) vaccine among children ages 19-to-35 months old (Data source: National Immunization Survey, 2013).

1. New Hampshire (96.3%); 2. Washington, D.C. (96.2%); 3. North Carolina (96.0%); 4. Massachusetts (95.8%); 5. (tie) New Jersey (95.6%) and Rhode Island (95.6%); 7. New York (95.5%); 8. Maryland (95.3%); 9. Mississippi (95.2%); 10. Delaware (94.8%); 11. Iowa (94.5%); 12. Georgia (93.9%); 13. Washington (93.5%); 14. Florida (93.4%); 15. Pennsylvania (93.3%); 16. Wisconsin (93.2%); 17. South Dakota (93.1%); 18. Hawaii (92.8%); 19. Texas (92.7%); 20. Utah (92.6%); 21. Nebraska (92.5%); 22. Tennessee (92.3%); 23. Indiana (92.0%); 24. (tie) Arizona (91.4%), Connecticut (91.4%), Illinois (91.4%) and North Dakota (91.4%); 28. Vermont (91.2%); 29. Idaho (91.1%); 30. Maine (91.0%); 31. Minnesota (90.8%); 32. California (90.7%); 33. Alaska (90.5%); 34. Nevada (90.4%); 35. (tie) Missouri (89.8%) and Oklahoma (89.8%); 37. Alabama (89.7%); 38. Kentucky (89.5%); 39. (tie) Kansas (89.4%) and Oregon (89.4%); 41. (tie) South Carolina (89.2%) and Michigan (89.2%); 43. New Mexico (89.1%); 44. Wyoming (89.0%); 45. Virginia (88.6%); 46. Arkansas (88.3%); 47. Louisiana (88.1%); 48. Montana (87.3%); 49. (tie) Colorado (86.0%), Ohio (86.0%) and West Virginia (86.0%).

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.

Trust for America’s Health’s Statement on the Public Health Aspects of the President’s Proposed Budget

February 3, 2015

Washington, DC, February 3, 2015 – The following is a statement from Jeffrey Levi, PhD, executive director of the Trust for America’s Health (TFAH) and chair of the Advisory Group on Prevention, Health Promotion, and Integrative and Public Health.

“If adopted, the President’s budget would take a major step toward building a culture of health in the United States, as it invests in programs and policies that enable Americans to be healthier – and to be better protected from infectious diseases, foodborne illnesses and other threats.

TFAH strongly supports the President’s proposal to end sequestration. Sequestration has resulted in sharp and indiscriminate cuts to public health programs – and ending it shows a commitment to the need for a strong, effective public health system in this country.

We are pleased to see increased support for programs that can improve health in people’s daily lives – where they live, learn, work and play. Mounting evidences shows programs like the Earned Income Tax Credit, the Child Care Tax Credit, early childhood education, family home visiting and the Children’s Health Insurance Program contribute to the long-term health of children and their families and are essential building blocks to a lifetime of wellbeing.

The proposal also recognizes the need for increased resources to fight one of the country’s fastest growing, most troubling and most preventable public health epidemics – devoting more than $100 million in new investments to combat prescription drug misuse and related heroin abuse.

In addition, the budget demonstrates how important ongoing investments into a standardized set of core “foundational capabilities” for all health departments are. All Americans should be assured that their state and local health departments have the same ability to help them be healthy. To this important end, the President’s budget identifies $8 million to start down the path of this kind of assurance.

However, while this is important, it is more than offset by the zeroing out of the $160 million Preventive Services Block Grant, a mechanism that is currently used by health departments to maintain capabilities and services. We recommend restoration of the block grant funding, along with clear direction that the funding be used for foundational public health capabilities and services.

Another low-point of the budget is the proposal to significantly cut chronic disease prevention programs – including some of the most important programs that support preventing obesity, tobacco cessation and related health problems. Given the national priority to reduce healthcare costs, this is particularly ironic since we know chronic diseases are one of the biggest drivers of these costs.

Some key public health highlights in the budget include:

  • A $36 million increase to the Strategic National Stockpile, which provides medicine and medical supplies to protect the American people during a public health emergency;
  • A $264 million investment to help the Centers for Disease and Prevention (CDC) combat antibiotic resistance;
  • A $107 million increase for the Biomedical Advance Research and Development Authority (BARDA) to spark the research and development of new antibiotics, vaccines, medical treatments and medical devices;
  • The creation of a single, independent food agency to provide leadership and prevent and respond to outbreaks of foodborne illness and an increase of $109.5 million to the Food and Drug Administration to implement the Food Safety Modernization Act (though much of this increase is in the form of unauthorized user fees which Congress should enact regardless of a policy decision on user fees). The creation of a single food safety agency has been a long-standing priority for TFAH and we hope it is the start of a broader coordination of public health programs across the federal government;
  • A $31.5 million increase in programs to combat viral hepatitis, almost doubling the nation’s resources;
  • A $10 million increase for the CDC climate and health program to fund 30 additional state and local grantees, though this is offset by an $11 million cut to the National Environmental Public Health Tracking program; and
  • A $128.1 million increase in the Vaccines for Children Program, though this is offset to some degree by a $50 million cut in the discretionary immunizations program.

Some key public health low-lights include:

  • Zeroing out the $160 million Preventive Services Block Grant – which is a key mechanism state and local public health agencies use to maintain capabilities and services;
  • A $20 million cut to the Partnerships for Improving Community Health (PICH), which works to address common risk factors for chronic disease;
  • A $7.5 million cut from the Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity and Obesity for programs focused on reducing obesity in high obesity rate counties; and
  • Elimination of the Racial and Ethnic Approaches to Community Health (REACH), which helps address key chronic disease conditions in the hardest hit populations.

TFAH looks forward to working with the Administration and Congress to ensure strong and sustained funding for public health – to foster a nationwide culture of health and improve the health and wealth of the nation.”

###

 

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.