A healthier America: 10 top priorities for prevention
- Collection:
- Health Policy and Services Research
- Series Title(s):
- Issue report (Trust for America's Health)
- Contributor(s):
- Trust for America's Health, issuing body.
- Publication:
- Washington, DC : Trust for America's Health, March 2008
- Language(s):
- English
- Format:
- Text
- Subject(s):
- Health Planning Health Policy Preventive Health Services -- methods Bioterrorism -- prevention & control Communicable Disease Control -- methods Communicable Diseases, Emerging -- prevention & control Consumer Product Safety Disaster Planning -- methods Disease Outbreaks -- prevention & control Economic Competition Emergency Medical Services -- organization & administration Environmental Exposure -- prevention & control Environmental Monitoring Food Supply Health Behavior Health Care Costs Health Services for the Aged Income -- classification Infection Control Insurance, Health -- economics Minority Groups Obesity -- epidemiology Obesity -- therapy Population Dynamics Poverty Areas Residence Characteristics Security Measures Smoking Prevention Social Responsibility Socioeconomic Factors Tobacco Use Disorder -- prevention & control Humans United States
- Genre(s):
- Technical Report
- Abstract:
- America spends more than $2 trillion annually on health care, more than any other nation. Yet tens of millions of Americans still suffer every day from preventable illness and chronic disease. Additionally, the skyrocketing costs of health insurance threaten to bankrupt American businesses and weaken our economy. Some companies have already begun sending jobs to other countries where health care costs are lower, and this trend is likely to continue unless the health of the nation improves and costs are contained. Several factors contribute to the health care crisis. One of the most important is our health care system's focus on caring for people after they have become sick or harmed. It's time for the country to change course. Solutions to the problem must begin with stopping illness or harm before they occur. Prevention must drive America's health strategy. Trust for America's Health (TFAH) has identified 10 top components of an effective national prevention strategy: (1) promoting disease prevention; (2) combating the obesity epidemic; (3) preventing tobacco use and exposure; (4) preventing and controlling infectious diseases; (5) preparing for potential health emergencies and bioterrorism attacks; (6) recognizing the relationship between health and U.S. economic competitiveness; (7) safeguarding the nation's food supply; (8) planning for changing health care needs of seniors; (9) improving the health of low-income and minority communities; (10) reducing environmental threats. Plus a cross-cutting recommendation for: holding government accountable for protecting the health of Americans.
- Copyright:
- Reproduced with permission of the copyright holder. Further use of the material is subject to CC BY license. (More information)
- Extent:
- 1 online resource (1 PDF file (28 unnumbered pages))
- Illustrations:
- Illustrations
- NLM Unique ID:
- 101479530 (See catalog record)
- Permanent Link:
- http://resource.nlm.nih.gov/101479530