About
National Prevention, Health Promotion, and Public Health Council
A focus on prevention will offer an opportunity to not only improve the health of Americans, but also help to reduce health care costs and improve quality of care. By concentrating on the underlying drivers of chronic disease, the Affordable Care Act helps to shift the nation from today’s “sick-care” system to an actual “health care” system that encourages health and well-being, while maintaining state-of-the-art medicine.
The Council will pursue a more holistic approach to community health that addresses a number of factors that influence our health – housing, education, transportation, the availability of quality affordable food, and conditions in the workplace and the environment.
Unfortunately, in too many communities today, healthy choices are neither easy nor affordable. A major challenge is to find ways to make the healthy choice in each community an easy choice and an affordable choice.
The Surgeon General serves as chair of the Council. Just as prevention is the foundation of the public health system, prevention is also the foundation of her work to improve the nation’s health.
Council members are cabinet secretaries, chairs, directors, or administrators of federal departments. Such high profile involvement demonstrates an unprecedented commitment to prevention and wellness in the US health care system.
By including officials from across the federal government, the Council will benefit from a wide variety of perspectives and inter-agency collaboration. In addition, it will receive input from an Advisory Group on Prevention, Health Promotion, and Integrative and Public Health Council as well as other public stakeholders.
The Council will meet periodically to:
- Develop a National Prevention and Health Promotion Strategy
- Review its progress and issue an Annual Status Report, the 2010 report (PDF - 84 KB) was submitted in July of 2010 and the 2011 report (PDF - 259 KB) was submitted in July of 2011.
- Incorporate input from the public and other relevant stakeholders Provide direction and input on the draft strategy
- Provide direction and input on the draft strategy
- Monitor implementation
The Council will:
- Provide coordination and leadership to ensure that the government is focused on priority initiatives that will improve prevention, wellness, and health promotion practices
- Make 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
Members
On June 10, the President signed an Executive Order creating the National Prevention, Health Promotion, and Public Health Council within the Department of Health and Human Services and comprising these members:
- Vice Admiral Regina M. Benjamin MD, MBA, USPHS, Surgeon General, Council Chair
- Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, Department of Health and Human Services
- Secretary Tom Vilsack, Department of Agriculture
- Secretary Arne Duncan, Department of Education
- Chairman Jon Leibowitz, Federal Trade Commission
- Secretary Ray LaHood, Department of Transportation
- Secretary Hilda L. Solis, Department of Labor
- Secretary Janet A. Napolitano, Department of Homeland Security
- Administrator Lisa P. Jackson, Department of Environmental Protection Agency
- Director R. Gil Kerlikowske, Office of National Drug Control Policy
- Director Melody Barnes, Domestic Policy Council
- Assistant Secretary-Indian Affairs Larry Echo Hawk, Department of the Interior
- Patrick Corvington, CEO, Corporation for National and Community Service
- Attorney General Eric H. Holder, Jr., Department of Justice
- Secretary Robert M. Gates, Department of Defense
- Secretary Eric K. Shinseki, Department of Veterans Affairs
- Secretary Shaun Donovan, Department of Housing and Urban Development
- Associate Director for Health Programs Keith Fontenot, Office of Management and Budget
Reports
On June 25, 2010, the Council ratified its first status report during a teleconference. Read the final July 1, 2010, Annual Status Report National Prevention, Health Promotion, and Public Health Council (PDF - 84 KB).
This report provides an overview of the strategy development process, proposed guiding principles, plans to convene the advisory group, a work plan and timeline, and list of Council activities.
The 2011 Annual Status Report was cleared by all National Prevention Council Members and released on July 1, 2011 (PDF - 259 KB).
Contact the National Prevention, Health Promotion, and Public Health Council at prevention.council@hhs.gov
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