March 23, 2011—In the past two years, our nation has made an historic investment in prevention and wellness with the goal of helping communities thrive—led by local communities and supported by the federal government. Through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, then through Prevention and Public Health Funding from the Affordable Care Act, community prevention efforts are transforming the places where people live, work, play and learn. As representatives of the communities striving to improve the health of residents using this approach, we wanted to share with you the impact, the importance and the value of this landmark initiative.

March marked the one-year anniversary of the passage of 2010's  Affordable Care Act (ACA), which includes substantial federal investments in  community health and prevention. ACA invests in prevention via the Prevention and Public Health Fund, the first $500 million of which was allocated in 2010.  On February 9, 2011, HHS announced the appropriations for the fund for  2011, totalling $750 million. Read the specific allocations for fiscal year 2011 along with a summary of some of the most visible and important federal activities.