Nation’s First Ever National Prevention Strategy.

From the 17 June 2011 Health Literate Chick posting

Yesterday, Surgeon General Regina Benjamin hosted a press conference to announce the nation’s first EVERNational Prevention Strategy.

This is huge Public Health news..HUGE. The Obama administration continues to be an administration that places the focus on public health and disease prevention.

The purpose of the meeting was to talk about how America needs to refocus its perspective to one of building a healthier nation through the prevention of disease and improvement of wellness rather than focussing on disease treatment.

AKA..shifting the focus from medicine to public health.

The plan comes as a result of the Affordable Care Act. Makes sense to me–if you’re going to be the one paying the bill for healthcare wouldn’t you rather just make the nation healthier to start through inexpensive prevention rather than paying for expensive surgeries and medications later?

The plan includes four basic strategies:

1. Create, sustain, and recognize communities that promote health and wellness through prevention.
2. Clinical and Community Preventive Services: Ensure that prevention-focused health care and community prevention efforts are available, integrated, and mutually reinforcing.
3. Empowered People: Support people in making healthy choices
4. Elimination of Health Disparities: Eliminate disparities, improving the quality of life for all Americans.

Within the above framework of Four (4) strategies are seven (7) priorities which make up the bulk of the report.

• Tobacco Free Living

• Preventing Drug Abuse and Excessive Alcohol Use

• Healthy Eating

• Active Living

• Injury and Violence Free Living

• Reproductive and Sexual Health

• Mental and Emotional Well-Being

Related articles

• IOM Report: Government Should Consider Public Health Implications Of All Major Legislation (jflahiff.wordpress.com)
• America’s First National Prevention Strategy. (ascleses.wordpress.com)
• Health promotion pushed in U.S. (cbc.ca)
• White House puts health focus on prevention (philly.com)
• National Prevention Strategy: America’s Plan for Better Health and Wellness (nlm.nih.gov)
• A Seattle doctor speaks out on public health and paid sick leave (seattlehealthyworkforce.org)