Issue Category: Infectious Disease

Newly Announced Order for Hospitals to Bypass CDC and Send Coronavirus Patient Information Directly to Washington Database Likely to Worsen Pandemic Response Rather than Improve It

(Washington, DC – July 15, 2020) — The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), as the nation’s lead public health agency, is uniquely qualified to collect, analyze and disseminate information regarding infectious diseases. It has been serving in that role since its creation and, in close collaboration with U.S. healthcare facilities nationwide, has developed a health statistics infrastructure that is the gold standard worldwide.

The problems with regard to the COVID-19 data collection have largely been a result of the decentralized and fragmented nature of both healthcare and public health in the United States. Furthermore, hospital data is only one aspect of what we need to know to fight the pandemic. A key role of health departments at all levels of government is to aggregate data to produce a detailed picture of a health problem at the national, state and local levels. Inadequate funding for data infrastructure, at CDC and at the local, state, tribal and territorial levels, is also a contributing factor.  That underfunding should be corrected rather than bypassed.

In the midst of the worst public health crisis in a century, it is counter-productive to create a new mechanism which will be extremely complicated to build and implement.  Another area of concern is that the planning for this new approach did not substantively involve officials at the local, state, tribal and/or territorial levels.  This is a time to support the public health system not take actions which may undermine its authority and critical role.

Americans must have confidence in the integrity of health data and its insulation from even the suggestion of political interference.  Sending these sensitive data to a newly created entity overseen directly by the White House will not eliminate such concerns, it will increase them.

John Auerbach, President and CEO, Trust for America’s Health

Dr. Tom Frieden, President and CEO, Resolve to Save Lives

Lori T. Freeman, Chief Executive Officer, National Association of County and City Health Officials

Dr. Georges C. Benjamin, Executive Director, American Public Health Association

Thomas M. File, Jr., M.D., MSc, FIDSA; President, Infectious Disease Society of America

Chrissie Juliano, MPP, Executive Director, Big Cities Health Coalition

William H. Dietz, MD, PhD, Chair, Redstone Center for Prevention and Wellness, George Washington University

Nearly 350 Public Health Organizations Implore HHS Secretary Azar to Support CDC’s Critical Role in the COVID-19 Pandemic Response

Letter calls on Secretary Azar to “speak up” and be an advocate for CDC and public health

(Washington, DC – July 7, 2020) – The expertise of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and all public health agencies is critical to protecting Americans’ health during the COVID-19 crisis, said a letter to Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar from 347 health and public health organizations released today.

The authoring organizations, including the American Public Health Association, Association of State and Territorial Health Officials, Big Cities Health Coalition, National Association of County and City Health Officials and Trust for America’s Health,  expressed “deep concern” about increasing reports of resistance to evidence-based public health messages and threats to public health leaders and agencies, and called on the Secretary to be an advocate for public health.

At this sentinel moment, during the worst public health emergency in over a century, all of the nation’s leaders must resist any efforts that would undermine the critical role of the CDC to respond to the pandemic and must be an advocate for increased investment in public health, said the letter signatories.

“Secretary Azar, we urge you to speak up and amplify the critical role of CDC and that of all public health agencies during this monumental crisis,” the letter said.

The public health community’s work to respond to the pandemic, via the federal government, including within the CDC, and at the state, local, territorial and tribal levels, has been tireless but has been hamstrung by shrunken programs and inadequate technology; the result of decades of underfunding.

Public health leaders are calling attention to the need for CDC to play a central role as the nation’s navigates the COVID-19 pandemic, including:

“CDC is the world’s premier public health institution and should be treated as such during this pandemic. It must be appropriately funded and allowed to speak based on the best available science and with an unfettered voice,” said John Auerbach, President and CEO of Trust for America’s Health.

“When you look at the global response to the COVID-19 pandemic, countries that listen to and prioritize public health fare best,” said Dr. Tom Frieden, former director of the CDC, President and CEO of Resolve to Save Lives, an initiative of Vital Strategies. “Trying to fight this pandemic without daily, public guidance from the CDC is like fighting with one hand tied behind your back.”

“There’s no federal agency better suited to lead the response to this unprecedented pandemic. CDC has experts who have studied and helped control coronaviruses and other viral threats for decades, and can help our country emerge from this crisis,” said Dr. Julie Gerberding, former director of the CDC, Co-Chair CSIS Commission on Strengthening America’s Health Security.

The COVID-19 crisis has also illuminated the ways in which racial inequities impact health. Higher rates of COVID-19 deaths within communities of color illustrate the importance of all of CDC’s work, including its focus on chronic disease prevention. It is not possible to effectively meet the needs of the American people if that scope is narrowed.

The letter furthermore calls on Secretary Azar to be an advocate for increased funding for CDC’s core budget. While emergency supplemental funding has been critical to begin to address the immediate COVID-19 response needs, robust, sustained, and predictable funding for its full public health mission is essential to sustain its public health activities and to prevent the next emergency.  Increasing the federal investment in public health will be particularly important, as state and local government budgets are likely to be severely hampered in the coming fiscal year due to tax revenue losses during the COVID-19 related economic shutdown.

Today’s laser focus should be on preventing further deaths and disruptions due to the pandemic and the CDC, as the world’s premier public health institution, should be at the helm of that effort, the letter said. Once the pandemic is controlled, the CDC, other federal agencies, state and local leaders and the public health community should collaboratively evaluate their performance and must acknowledge and address shortcomings of the response in order to be better prepared for the next public health emergency.

Signing the letter were:

1,000 Days

Academic Health Resource

Academy for Eating Disorders

Action on Smoking and Health

Advocates for Better Children’s Diets

AES Consulting

AFSCME

AIDS Alliance for Women, Infants, Children, Youth & Families

AIDS United

AlohaCare

Alzheimer’s and Dementia Alliance of WI

Alzheimer’s Association

Alzheimer’s Impact Movement (AIM)

Alzheimer’s of Central Alabama

Alzheimer’s Orange County

American Academy of Family Physicians

American Academy of Pediatrics

American Academy of Pediatrics, California

American Association for Clinical Chemistry

American Association for Dental Research

American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases

American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy

American Association on Health and Disability

American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN)

American College Health Association

American College of Clinical Pharmacy

American College of Clinical Pharmacy (ACCP)

American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists

American College of Physicians

American College of Preventive Medicine

American Council on Exercise

American Dental Association

American Foundation for Suicide Prevention

American Geriatrics Society

American Heart Association

American Kidney Fund

American Lung Association

American Medical Women’s Association

American Organization for Nursing Leadership

American Public Health Association

American School Health Association

American Sexual Health Association

American Society for Clinical Pathology

American Society for Microbiology

American Society of Hematology

American Society of Pediatric Nephrology

American Society of Tropical Medicine & Hygiene

American Thoracic Society

American University Department of Health Studies

APLA Health

Arizona Community Health Workers Association

Arizona Public Health Association

Art & Science of Health Promotion Institute

Asian Health Coalition

Asian Health Services

Association for Prevention Teaching and Research

Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology

Association of American Cancer Institutes

Association of American Medical Colleges

Association of Asian Pacific Community Health Organizations (AAPCHO)

Association of Departments of Family Medicine

Association of Family Medicine Residency Directors

Association of Food and Drug Officials

Association of Immunization Managers

Association of Maternal & Child Health Programs

Association of Minority Health Professions Schools

Association of Ohio Health Commissioners

Association of Population Centers

Association of Public Health Laboratories

Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health

Association of SNAP Nutrition Education Administrators

Association of State and Territorial Health Officials

Association of State Public Health Nutritionists

Autistic Self Advocacy Network

Big Cities Health Coalition

Bipartisan Policy Center

Black AIDS Institute

Black Men’s Health Initiative

Boston Public Health Commission

Bristol Health Equity Zone

Bronx Health REACH

California Coalition for Children’s Safety and Health

California Immunization Coalition

California Pan-Ethnic Health Network

California School Nurses Organization

Cambridge Public Health Department

Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids

Cancer Council of the Pacific Islands

Caring Ambassadors Program

Cascade AIDS Project

Center for Community Resilience

Center for Health and Learning

Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP)

CenterLink: The Community of LGBT Centers

Ceres Community Project

ChangeLab Solutions

Child Welfare League of America

Children’s Environmental Health Network

Children’s Mental Health Network

Christian Council of Delmarva

City of Houston Health Department

City of Milwaukee of Health Department

Climate for Health, ecoAmerica

Coalition for a Tobacco Free Arkansas

Coalition of National Health Education Organizations

Cohen Veterans Bioscience

Colorado Association of Local Public Health Officials

Colorado Public Health Association

Colorado Public Health Nursing Leaders

Community Access National Network

Community Education Group

Connecticut Public Health Association

Cooley’s Anemia Foundation

Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists

Counter Tools

County Health Executives Association of California

Cuyahoga County Board of Health

Cystic Fibrosis Foundation

Delaware Academy of Medicine

Delaware Academy of Medicine / Delaware Public Health Association

Delaware Academy of Medicine and the Delaware Public Health Association

East Shore District Health Dept.

Eating Disorders Coalition for Research, Policy & Action

Education Development Center

Element Health, Inc.

Endocrine Society

Enlace Chicago

Epilepsy Alliance America

Epilepsy Foundation

Equality California

Eta Sigma Gamma

Families USA

Family Voices

Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Information Network

FHI 360

FIRST Family Service Center

Fletcher Group, Inc.

Florida Institute for Health Innovation

Florida Public Health Association

Foundation for Healthy Generations

Galaxy Aviation Corp

Gateway Region YMCA

George Mason University Center for Climate Change Communication

GLMA: Health Professionals Advancing LGBTQ Equality

Global Alliance for Behavioral Health and Social Justice

Global Health Council

Global Health Technologies Coalition (GHTC)

Global Healthy Living Foundation

Global Liver Institute

Grand Traverse County Health Department

Green & Healthy Homes Initiative

Harm Reduction Michigan

Hawaii Public Health Association

Hawaii State Dept of Health, Office of Primary Care and Rural Health

Health by Design

Health Care Improvement Foundation

Health Enhancement Research Organization (HERO)

Health Resources in Action

Healthcare Foundation Northern Sonoma County

Healthcare Ready

HealthHIV

HealthPartners Institute

Healthy Schools Campaign

Healthy Weight Partnership Inc.

Heartland Alliance

Hep B United

Hepatitis B Foundation

HIV Medicine Association

Hogg Foundation for Mental Health

Hope and Help Center of Central Florida, Inc.

Idaho Public Health Association

Immunization Action Coalition

Immunize Nevada

Impetus – Let’s Get Started LLC

Indiana Public Health Association

Infectious Diseases Society of America

Institute for Family Health

Interdisciplinary Association for Population Health Science (IAPHS)

International Association of Emergency Managers

International Association of Fire Chiefs

IWC Resources, LP

Jeffrey Modell Foundation

Journal of Public Health Management and Practice

Jump IN for Healthy Kids

Kaplan Health Innovations

Kentucky Health Departments Association

KidsAndCars.org

L.A. Care Health Plan

Lakeshore Foundation

League of American Bicyclists

Linn County Public Health

Louisiana Community Health Worker Outreach Network

Louisiana Public Health Association

Lupus and Allied Diseases Association, Inc.

Macoupin County Public Health Department

Maine Public Health Association

March of Dimes

MaryCatherine Jones Consulting, LLC

Maryland Association of County Health Officers (MACHO)

Maryland Office of Minority Health

Massachusetts Public Health Association

Medicago

MEND Foundation

Metropolitan Group

Michigan Association for Local Public Health

MindWise Innovations

Minneapolis Health Department

Mississippi Public Health Institute

Montana Public Health Association

Monterey County Health Department

Morehouse School of Medicine

MountainCare

Multnomah County Health Department

NAACP

NAPHSIS

NASTAD

National Adult Day Services Association

National Association of Chronic Disease Directors

National Association of Community Health Workers

National Association of County and City Health Officials

National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners

National Association of School Nurses

National Athletic Trainers’ Association

National Birth Equity Collaborative

National Center for Disaster Preparedness, Columbia University

National Center for Healthy Housing

National Coalition for LGBT Health

National Coalition for the Homeless

National Coalition of STD Directors

National Environmental Health Association (NEHA)

National Forum for Heart Disease & Stroke Prevention

National Hemophilia Foundation

National Kidney Foundation

National Lipid Association

National Medical Association (NMA)

National Network of Public Health Institutes

National Nurse-Led Care Consortium

National Prevention Science Coalition to Improve Lives

National REACH Coalition

National Safety Council

National Viral Hepatitis Roundtable

National WIC Association

Nebraska Association of Local Health Directors

Network for Environmental & Economic Responsibility of United Church of Christ

Nevada Public Health Organization

Nevada Rural Hospital Partners

New Jersey Association of County and City Health Officials

New Jersey Public Health Association

New York State Public Health Association

North American Primary Care Research Group

North Carolina Healthcare Foundation

Northwest Center for Public Health Practice

NYU Grossman School of Medicine

NYU School of Global Public Health

Ohio Public Health Association

Onyx Strategic Consulting LLC

Pacific Island Health Officers Association

Partnering for Community Transformation Inc

Partnership to Fight Chronic Disease

Partnership to Fight Infectious Disease

PATH

Patrick Risha CTE Awareness Foundation

Pawtucket Central Falls Health Equity Zone

Peggy Lillis Foundation

Pennsylvania Public Health Association

PFLAG National

Population Association of America

Population Health Alliance

Prevent Blindness

Prevent Child Abuse America

Prevention Institute

Preventive Cardiovascular Nurses Association

Public Health Advocates

Public Health Alliance of Southern California

Public Health Foundation

Public Health Institute

Public Health Law Center

Public Health Solutions

Puerto Rico Public Health Association

Pulmonary Hypertension Association

Redstone Global Center for Prevention and Wellness GWU

Research!America

Residential Eating Disorders Consortium

RESOLVE

Resolve to Save Lives, an initiative of Vital Strategies

Respiratory Health Association

Rhode Island Department of Health

RiverStone Health

Rural Health Association of Tennessee

Rural Health Association of Utah

Safe Routes Partnership

Safe States Alliance

Samueli Integrative Health Programs

SANIPLAN

School-Based Health Alliance

SF Hep B Free – Bay Area

SHAPE America – Society of Health and Physical Educators

Shoals Community Clinic

Silver State Equality-Nevada

Smoke Free St. Joe

Society for Advancement of Violence and Injury Research

Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine

Society for Public Health Education

Society of State Leaders of Health and Physical Education

Society of Teachers of Family Medicine

Southern California Public Health Association

Southwick BOH

Stanislaus County Medical Society

Susan G. Komen

Tennessee Justice Center

Tennessee Public Health Association

Texas Public Health Association

The AIDS Institute

The Broussard Company

The Center for Community Resilience, George Washington University

The Consortium

The Foundation for Sustainable Communities

The George Washington University (GW) Cancer Center

The Gerontological Society of America

The Immunization Partnership

The John A. Hartford Foundation

The Kennedy Forum

The Los Angeles Trust for Children’s Health

The National Commission for Health Education Credentialing, Inc

The Nourished Principles, LLC

The Permanente Medical Group

Thomas Jefferson University

Training Resources Network, Inc.

Treatment Action Group

Trillium Health

Trust for America’s Health

Truth Initiative

U.S. Breastfeeding Committee

UCLA Fielding School of Public Health

UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health

United Ostomy Associations of America

United Way of Greenwood and Abbeville Counties

University of Washington Department of Global Health

University of Washington School of Nursing

University of Washington School of Public Health

University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute

USAgainstAlzheimer’s

Vaccinate Your Family

Washington State Association of Local Health Officials

Washington State Department of Health

Washington State Public Health Association

WelCore Health, LLC

West Valley Neighborhoods Coalition

Whitefoord

Winer Family Foundation

Wisconsin Public Health Association

Women Of A Certain Age

WomenHeart: The National Coalition for Women with Heart Disease

Women’s Resource Center

Woodhull Freedom Foundation

Xavier University for Population Health

YMCA of the USA

Zell Community Health Strategies

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The ACA is Critical to the Health of all Americans, Particularly as the Nation Struggles to Contain the Coronavirus

(Washington D.C. – June 29, 2020)

The Trump Administration’s efforts to dismantle the Affordable Care Act (ACA), including urging the Supreme Court to overturn the act, is ill-conceived and puts the health of millions of Americans at risk during the worst public health crisis in over a century.

While always a bad idea, overturning the ACA as COVID-19 infection rates hit new highs in five states, would be catastrophic and could result in excess deaths. The loss of the ACA would also exacerbate the racial inequities that exist in healthcare access, adding to the disproportionate deaths of Blacks and other people of color due to the pandemic.

The ACA has been the law of the land for over a decade and millions of people rely on it for essential health services.  If the act was overturned, more than 20 million Americans who gained access to healthcare through the ACA created marketplace and Medicaid expansion would lose that coverage, including vital protections related to pre-existing conditions. Plus, the nearly 30 million Americans who have lost their healthcare due to COVID-19 layoffs would lose access to the critical back-up source for health coverage provided by the ACA marketplace.

There are also major implications for public health. If the 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 created by the ACA and specifically designated for public health and prevention, funds approximately 11 percent of the CDC’s budget. These funds are put to work 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.

Also at risk is 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.

Public Health Needs Our Support

(Washington D.C. – June 23)

John Auerbach, President and CEO of Trust for America’s Health, issued the following statement:

“As our nation struggles to manage the continued surge of COVID-19 cases, we need to strengthen the public health response.   Resistance to public health messages and threats to public health leaders and agencies undermine the efforts to protect the health and wellbeing of America’s residents.  We need to support the leadership of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and state, local, tribal, and territorial public health agencies in the efforts to re-open safely.

CDC, state, local, tribal, and territorial public health staff have been working around the clock for months to respond to the pandemic and protect the public, while often relying on overworked staff and inadequate systems that are the result of decades of underfunding.

CDC is a scientific agency that must be able to function in an apolitical manner.  We must amplify the unfettered voice of CDC, not stifle it.

The broad scope of CDC’s work – from chronic disease to injury prevention to environmental health to emergency preparedness to infectious disease – is critical.   It isn’t possible to effectively meet the needs of the American people if the scope is narrowed.   The COVID-19 pandemic demonstrates that the underlying health of Americans – including, for example, obesity, heart disease and diabetes – has a direct impact on the risk of serious illness and death. And the pandemic has also starkly highlighted the unacceptable health disparities related to racism and discrimination which can only be addressed with a sweeping health focus.

The mission of the CDC is clear and replicated in every state and local community’s public health department: save lives through sound public health.  Now more than ever we need them to accomplish their mission.”

TFAH Applauds the Introduction of the Bipartisan Protecting the Health of America’s Older Adults During COVID-19 and Beyond Act

(Washington, DC – May 26) – Trust for America’s Health, a non-partisan, nonprofit public health policy, research and advocacy organization, applauds the introduction of the bipartisan Protecting the Health of America’s Older Adults During COVID-19 and Beyond Act by Representatives Lois Frankel (CA-44), Gus Bilirakis (FL-12) and Debbie Dingell (MI-12) Donna Shalala (FL-27).  The bill would address the unique needs of seniors during the current crisis and establish innovative new public health strategies to better promote the health of this population moving forward.

Older adults represent a high-risk group for COVID-19, with higher hospitalization and mortality rates than any other population, with more COVID-19 deaths occurring in nursing homes than any other location.   For older adults confined to their homes, isolation can exacerbate health challenges such as mental distress, injuries, and worsening of chronic conditions.  If enacted, this legislation would create a National COVID-19 Resource Center for Older Adults, led by the Secretary of Health and Human Services and composed of senior officials from several agencies that work with older Americans. The work of the Resource Center would include developing best practices for older adult health and well-being during the COVID-19 response and beyond and creating and disseminating tools and technical assistance to adopt these best practices throughout the nation.

The bill would also establish a Healthy Aging Program at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Through grants to health departments, the program would help states and local communities coordinate multi-sector efforts to promote the health of older adults and develop aging expertise at state and local health departments that would allow them to apply an aging lens to all of their work. As the COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated, older adults have unique health challenges, and public health must have the resources and expertise to address their needs.

The President and CEO of Trust for America’s Health, John Auerbach, congratulates Representatives Frankel, Bilirakis, and Dingell on the introduction of the bill, stating:

“There would be great value in the creation of a National Center to help meet the needs of older adults during the COVID-19 pandemic.  Such a Center would bring the different federal agencies around a single table and assure a unified commitment to elder health.   The Center could collaborate with funded state and local health departments to address the urgent needs of older adults such as protecting residents and workers in nursing homes, preventing new infections and addressing the public health needs that arise when older adults are confined to their homes.”

 

In addition to TFAH, original endorsing national organizations include:

  • Age-Friendly Portland
  • Alliance for Aging Research
  • American Association on Health and Disability
  • American Lung Association
  • American Muslim Health Professionals
  • American Public Health Association
  • APLA Health
  • Anthem Lakes
  • Anthemcare Tennessee
  • Arise Veteran Foundation
  • Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health
  • Association of State and Territorial Health Officials
  • Berean Wellness & Community Support Center
  • Communities for Older Adult Health
  • Equality California
  • Equality North Carolina
  • Families USA
  • Florida Public Health Association
  • The Gerontological Society of America
  • Global Alliance for Behavioral Health and Social Justice
  • Hispanic Health Initiatives, Inc.
  • Impetus – Let’s Get Started LLC
  • The Jewish Federations of North America
  • Lakeshore Foundation
  • Maine Public Health Association
  • National Alliance for Caregiving
  • National Foundation for Infectious Diseases
  • National Hispanic Medical Association
  • National Network of Public Health Institutes
  • National REACH Coalition
  • Network of Jewish Human Service Agencies
  • The Praxis Project
  • Prevent Blindness
  • QEC Partners LLC
  • RSS Riverdale Senior Services
  • Reliance Home Care, Inc.
  • Silver State Equality-Nevada
  • Society for Public Health Education
  • Trust for America’s Health
  • The Washington State Department of Health
  • We All Rise

Read TFAH’s summary of the bill.   For more information on Protecting the Health of America’s Older Adults During COVID-19 and Beyond Act, please contact Kevin McIntyre at [email protected].

 

COVID-19 and the Impact on Communities of Color: Our Nation’s Inequities Exposed

Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, communities of color already faced inequitable opportunities for health and well-being. Racial and ethnic health disparities have long existed, largely rooted in structural inequities that have persisted across generations. From the lasting effects of residential segregation to poverty, discrimination, less access to good jobs and economic opportunity, higher rates of insured, less access to health care, and much more, people of color have experienced the undue burden of these inequities.

While everyone is at risk for COVID-19, individuals who have underlying medical conditions are at higher risk for severe illness from COVID-19. And people of color disproportionately have higher rates of many chronic conditions, such as diabetes, hypertension, kidney disease, and asthma which are associated with the social determinants of health. Furthermore, people of color are over-represented in low-wage jobs and in many of the front-line jobs designated as essential workers in this pandemic. Now as more cases of and deaths from COVID-19 are identified across the country, this pandemic is revealing the consequences of these longstanding inequities, through the early data reported on the higher rates of cases and deaths among people of color. There is an urgent need to advance equity in the pandemic response and to prevent it from further exacerbating disparities.

Mental Health and COVID19: How the Pandemic Complicates Current Gaps in Care and What Can Be Done

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has created new challenges and aggravated existing obstacles to mental health care and well-being. Individuals, families, and communities nationwide are grappling with financial insecurity, increased difficulty accessing mental health and substance use care, and an elevated level of overall stress and anxiety. This pandemic also threatens to widen existing disparities in access, treatment, and recovery for mental illness and substance use disorders. All of this culminates into a possible “second wave” of rising mental anguish, addiction, and social dislocation.

The discussion focused on the unique challenges for mental health in the wake of COVID-19. Attendees learned about current advocacy efforts to improve the mental health system, what specialized resources in response to the pandemic have been released to date, and what else may be needed.

TFAH Applauds the Introduction of The Improving Social Determinants of Health Act of 2020 by Representative Nanette Diaz Barragán (CA-44)

(Washington, DC – April 21) – Trust for America’s Health (TFAH), a non-partisan, independent public health policy, research and advocacy organization, applauds the introduction of the Improving Social Determinants of Health Act of 2020  for the critical ways it would address the social, economic and environmental conditions that affect health and wellbeing and drive improved health for millions of Americans.

If enacted, the bill would create a Social Determinants of Health (SDOH) Program at the   Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Through grants, this program would improve the capacity of public health departments and community organizations to address social determinants of health and reduce health care costs by building multi-sector collaborations and addressing policies that currently inhibit good health. Grants would also be issued to nonprofit organizations and institutions of higher education to conduct research on SDOH best practices, provide technical, training and evaluation assistance and/or disseminate those best practices. Lastly, the program would coordinate, support and align SDOH activities at CDC.

The President and CEO of Trust for America’s Health, John Auerbach, congratulates Rep. Barragán on the introduction of the bill:

“Now more than ever it is important to address the social and economic conditions, including housing, employment, food security, and education, that contribute significantly to an individual’s health outcomes over their lifetime.

The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted how a community’s resources directly impact the health of its residents. People at a disproportionate risk for serious health impacts from the novel coronavirus are also more likely to suffer secondary consequences, such as loss of income or health care, as a result of the pandemic.

TFAH believes this legislation is an important step to addressing the non-medical social needs of communities and urges Congressional support. The legislation would empower public health departments and community organizations to act as chief health strategists in their communities and lead efforts to convene partners across sectors to build integrated systems and programs that improve health and health equity.

The Improving Social Determinants of Health Act of 2020 is an important next step in improving health outcomes, would reduce overall healthcare spending and help address health inequities; TFAH is proud to support this bill.”

In addition to TFAH, original endorsing national organizations include:

1,000 Days, The AIDS Institute, Aligning for Health, American Association of Birth Centers, American Association on Health and Disability, American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, American College of Preventive Medicine, American Federation of Teachers, American Heart Association, American Kidney Fund, American Medical Student Association, American Public Health Association, Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum, Association of Maternal & Child Health Programs, Association of Minority Health Professions Schools, Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health, Association of State and Territorial Health Officials, Autistic Self Advocacy Network, ChangeLab Solutions, Coalition for Disability Health Equity, Common Threads, Community Catalyst, Community Cup Classic Foundation, Congregation of Our Lady of the Good Shepherd, U.S. Provinces, Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund (DREDF), Disabled Sports USA, Epilepsy Alliance America, Families USA, Health Leadership Legacy Project, Health Resources in Action, Healthy Kinder International, Hispanic Federation, Japanese American Citizens League, Lakeshore Foundation, Lutheran Services in America, March of Dimes, NAACP, NASTAD, National Advocacy Center of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd, National Association of Certified Professional Midwives, National Association of Counties, National Association of County and City Health Officials, National Association of School Nurses, National Association of Social Workers, National Center for Transgender Equality, National Center for Transgender Equality, National Health Care for the Homeless Council, National Medical Association (NMA), National Network of Public Health Institutes, National Nurse-Led Care Consortium, National REACH Coalition, National WIC Association, National Working Positive Coalition, NERDS RULE INC, Network for Environmental & Economic Responsibility, NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice, Participatory Budgeting Project, PFLAG National, Population Health Alliance, Praxis Project, Prevention Institute, Public Health Foundation, RESULTS, Society for Public Health Education, Southeast Asia Resource Action Center (SEARAC), Treatment Action Group, WE in the World, Well Being Trust, and Wholesome Wave.

TFAH’s summary of the bill can be found here.   For more information on The Improving Social Determinants of Health Act of 2020, please contact Daphne Delgado at [email protected].