IN SUPPORT OF THE PREVENTION AND PUBLIC HEALTH FUND

WHEREAS, preventable diseases such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes and many cancers are responsible for 70% of deaths among Americans; and

WHEREAS, disease prevention is a critical answer to soaring health care costs and mounting chronic diseases in this country. In a recent report, the Institute of Medicine says that prevention must be at the center of national strategies to improve health care and calls for more investment in efforts to promote health and prevent disease; and

WHEREAS, preventable chronic diseases account for more than 75% of the $2.6 trillion we spend annually on medical care and the high costs associated with chronic disease threaten the nation’s economic vitality causing diminished labor productivity at a cost of more than $1 trillion annually; and

WHEREAS, efforts to prevent chronic disease are considerably underfunded; less than 5% of national health spending is devoted to public health activities; and

WHEREAS, research indicates prevention efforts have a high return on investment.  A study conducted by the Trust for America’s Health found that an investment of $10 per person annually in proven, community-based public health programs would return more than $16 billion within five years; and

WHEREAS, the creation of the $15 billion Prevention and Public Health Fund (Fund) in 2010, which has since been reduced by $5 billion marked the first major federal expenditure to support innovative community-based prevention programs to curb smoking, promote physical activity, and expand access to healthy foods, and the vital public health infrastructure needed to support their implementation; and

WHEREAS, the Fund represents an unprecedented window of opportunity to build upon our knowledge base, advance evidence-based prevention strategies, and inform policy makers about how to allocate scarce health resources; and

WHEREAS, the Fund will demonstrate the value of investments in prevention over the long term; and

NOW THEREFORE BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the U.S. Conference of Mayors urges the Congress to remain steadfast in its commitment to the Fund, restore the original funding level and provide reliable and continued funding for efforts to reduce preventable disease rates and advance prevention strategies; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the U.S. Conference of Mayors urges the President and Congress to continue to support and safeguard the Fund.