Upcoming Events

NACCHO Annual Meeting

July 8-10, 2014

NALBOH Annual Meeting

August 13-15, 2014

ASTHO Annual Meeting

Sept 9-11, 2014 

Public Health Law Conference

Oct 16-17, 2014   

 NCSD Conference

Oct 28-31, 2014  

APHA Annual Meeting

Nov 15-19, 2014 

Connect with Us

Partnership Pulse

Aspirin: Partnership's Council on Aspirin for Health and Prevention (CAHP) issued a statement supporting aspirin use to prevent cardiovascular disease. In May, the Food and Drug Administration rejected Bayer HealthCare's petition to allow aspirin to be marketed for primary prevention of cardiovascular disease. The CAHP believes that many people at risk for a first heart attack and stroke can benefit from aspirin and should discuss with their provider if aspirin is right for them.

Sexual Health: Partnership submitted public comments to the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force on two draft recommendation statements for sexual health services: Screening for Chlamydia and Gonorrhea, and Behavioral Counseling Interventions to Prevent Sexually Transmitted Infections. 

Tobacco: Partnership and 15 other organizations submitted public comments to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services on proposed rules for payment systems pertaining to inpatient psychiatric facilities and acute and long-term care hospitals.

General: Partnership and more than 70 other organizations signed onto a letter supporting the nomination of Dr. Vivek Murthy to Surgeon General.     

 Prevention News

Policies to reduce consumption of sugary drinks, the single largest source of added sugar in the American diet, are gaining momentum. California and New York City lead the way, but industry and political opposition, and most recently court rulings, have stymied their efforts. In addition to introducing excise taxes on sugary drinks, California considered a bill that would have placed a warning label on sugary drinks. The bill failed, but this novel policy approach will almost certainly be tried again. In 2012, New York City's board of health adopted a rule that limited the size of drinks able to be sold in city restaurants to 16 ounces. That regulation was overturned in 2013 and two lower appeals courts upheld that ruling. On June 26, the New York Court of Appeals failed to reinstate the regulation, citing that the board of health had overstepped its regulatory authority. Despite failing, these innovative policy approaches nonetheless increase awareness among the public and policymakers about how sugary drinks contribute to poor health and pave the way for future success.      

• Outdoor occupational settings
• Outdoor recreational and tourism settings
• Primary and middle school settings
• Childcare settings
• Multi-component community-wide programs  

• Smoke-free policies. This recommendation is based on strong evidence of effectiveness in reducing secondhand smoke exposure, tobacco use, and tobacco-related illness and death. These policies also significantly reduce healthcare costs while not adversely impacting businesses. 
• Interventions to increase the unit price for tobacco products. This recommendation is based on strong evidence of effectiveness in increasing the number of people who quit and reducing tobacco use and tobacco-related illness and death. Increasing the unit price of tobacco products also greatly reduces health care costs and can decrease productivity losses.   

Health Equity: The Task Force recommends full-day kindergarten programs to improve the health prospects of low-income and racial and ethnic minority children. This recommendation is based on strong evidence that these programs improve children's math and reading skills when compared to half-day kindergarten or full-day kindergarten on alternating days.     

In May and June, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) issued a number of final and draft products. The USPSTF issued final research plans for screening for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease using spirometry and screening for impaired vision in older adults. Final recommendation statements were issued for the following three services.

Suicide: The USPSTF found insufficient evidence to recommend screening adolescents, adults, and older adults for suicide risk in primary care settings (I grade).    

Hepatitis B Virus: The USPSTF recommends screening for hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection in asymptomatic, non-pregnant people at high risk for infection (B grade). Those at high risk include people emigrating from countries with high prevalence of HBV infection, HIV+ persons, injection drug users, household contacts of those with HBV infection, and men who have sex with men.   

Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm (AAA): The USPSTF recommends one-time screening for AAA in men aged 65-75 who have ever smoked (B grade). It recommends that clinicians selectively offer screening for AAA in men aged 65-75 who have never smoked (C grade). The USPSTF concludes there is insufficient evidence to recommend screening for AAA in women aged 65-75 who have ever smoked (I grade) and it recommends against screening in women who have never smoked (D grade).              

Cigarettes today are deadlier and more addictive than those made 50 years ago, according to the most recent Surgeon General's report on tobacco. Tobacco manufacturers have changed the design of the cigarette to make it even more addictive than it already is. A new report by Campaign for Tobacco-Free kids (CTFK) describes those design changes and key ways that tobacco companies manipulate their products to attract new smokers, get them hooked, and make it more difficult for them to quit when they want to.      

Register Now for Webinar to Learn about STAR Community Rating System       

The STAR Community Rating System is the first national certification program to recognize sustainable communities. It helps communities identify and implement best practices to create a healthy environment, a strong economy, and a healthy populace.  A one-hour webinar on July 18 from 2:00 - 3:00 pm (EDT) will explore how the STAR Community Rating System is being used to advance health outcomes and improve community wellness. Register here.    

Call for Proposals for 2015 Art & Science of Health Promotion Conference    

Proposals are being accepted for the 2015 Art & Science of Health Promotion Conference, to be held March 30 - April 3, 2015 in San Diego, CA. The deadline for Breakout Sessions has passed, but proposals are still being accepted for many other types of sessions, including Poster Presentations, Panel Discussions, and Activity Sessions. Learn more about these options for presenting and the respective deadlines for submitting a proposal here.