National Prevention, Health Promotion and Public Health Council: Draft Recommendations Call for Comment

On June 10, 2010, the President signed an Executive Order creating the National Prevention, Health Promotion, and Public Health Council. On June 25, 2010, the Council ratified its first status report during a teleconference, and submitted its Annual Status Report  on July 1, 2010. 

An important component of the Affordable Care Act, the National Prevention, Health Promotion, and Public Health Council (National Prevention Council) brings together seventeen federal departments and agencies to plan and coordinate prevention efforts across the government and the nation through the development of the National Prevention and Health Promotion Strategy (National Prevention Strategy). 

Additionally, to provide guidance to the National Prevention Council, the President will establish an Advisory Group on prevention, health promotion, and integrative and public health composed of no more than 25 non-federal members. It is anticipated that the Advisory Group will be announced early in 2011. 

Members of the National Prevention Council include Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki, and a number of other Secretaries and directors. The National Prevention Council, chaired by Surgeon General Regina Benjamin, is charged with providing coordination and leadership at the federal level and among all executive departments and agencies with respect to prevention, wellness and health promotion practices.

The Council is also responsible for making recommendations—with continual public input—to the President and the Congress concerning the nation’s most pressing health issues and on changes to federal policy that will promote health and achieve public health goals, including reducing tobacco use, sedentary behavior, and poor nutrition

Consequently, with input from the public and interested stakeholders, the National Prevention Council is charged with developing a National Prevention and Health Promotion Strategy (National Prevention Strategy) by March 23, 2011. The National Prevention Strategy seeks to shift the nation from a focus on sickness and disease to one based on wellness and prevention. It will present a vision, goals, recommendations and action items that public, private, nonprofit organizations and individuals can take to reduce preventable death, disease and disability in the United States.

The National Prevention Strategy brings together the many sectors that affect the health of Americans, including transportation, education, housing, and health. Implementation of the National Prevention Strategy must include the participation, coordination, leadership, and commitment of all parts of society, including public and private partners, in order to successfully improve the health of Americans.

A Draft Framework to guide the development of the National Prevention Strategy was made available for public comment from October 1 – December 5, 2010. Guided by this public input, the National Prevention Council has now developed a preliminary set of Draft Recommendations– overarching priorities with a focus on communities – that will greatly improve health and wellness in the United States. They have been posted online for public comment. Comments will be accepted until January 13, 2011.

The final National Prevention Strategy will also include specific actions that the federal government and others in the public, private, and non-profit sectors can take to achieve these priority Recommendations.  

The Recommendations and Action Items in the final National Prevention Strategy will be based on evidence-based interventions. It will also reflect the importance of tracking progress to ensure accountability. As National Prevention Council members and Designees receive public input, they will continue to refine the content and plan to release the final National Prevention Strategy in 2011.

National Prevention Strategy

Currently, chronic diseases and conditions account for at least 7 of every 10 deaths in the United States and for more than 75% percent of medical care expenditures. Many of these conditions are preventable. The National Prevention Strategy is designed to bring a focus on the prevention of disease and promotion of wellness to the forefront of efforts that will help lead to longer, healthier, and more productive lives for all Americans.

The National Prevention Strategy will also be aligned with the national health objectives set forth in Healthy People 2020, the First Lady’s Let’s Move! Campaign to combat the epidemic of childhood obesity, the National HIV/AIDS Strategy, the Department of Transportation’s Sustainable Communities, the Office of the National Drug Control Policy’s 2010 National Drug Control Strategy, and many others.

Additionally, four cross-cutting strategic directions, each containing specific recommendations, form the foundation for the National Prevention Strategy.

Healthy Physical, Social and Economic Environments: Create healthy physical, social and economic environments that encompass safe and healthy neighborhoods, worksites, schools, homes and public and green space. These environments should address physical (air, water, land, buildings and other structures) and economic (availably, affordability, fair market, opportunity) factors and social norms that promote health.

Eliminate Health Disparities: Eliminate health disparities experienced by populations (e.g., based on  race/ethnicity, gender, disability status, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, geography) in order to achieve  health equity. These disparities are exacerbated by poverty and inequities in employment, education, housing and others.

Prevention and Public Health Capacity: Build prevention capacity that supports state, Tribal, local, and Territorial efforts to promote health, prevent disability and disease and ensure preparedness for natural and man-made threats and emergencies.

Quality Clinical Preventive Services: Increase use of the most effective and highest impact/priority  evidence-based clinical preventive services and medications, such as the preventive use of aspirin; screening and  treatment for high blood pressure and cholesterol; cancer screening; screening and treatment for HIV, chronic viral  hepatitis, and STDs; and immunizations, among others.

These strategic directions are important in their own right and are applicable to each of the six targeted strategic directions, which include recommendations for:

• Tobacco-free living
• Reducing alcohol and drug abuse
• Healthy eating
• Active Living
• Injury-free living, and
• Mental and emotional wellbeing

Public comments on the Draft Recommendations can be submitted here until January 13, 2011.