You know how important the Prevention and Public Health Fund is to the sustainability of our healthcare system and our quality of life. Unfortunately many members of Congress just don't get it. The Fund continues to be a popular target by legislators and the Obama Administration has been raiding the fund to pay for health reform implementation because Congress simply won't authorize needed funding.
A few Congress members -- led by Senator Harkin of Iowa -- have taken a stand for prevention. They need our support and encouragement to continue defending the Fund and grow the ranks of prevention supporters in Congress. Please use our simple tool to thank these legislators for their recent support of the Prevention and Public Health Fund:
- Senator Tom Harkin of Iowa
- Senator Al Franken of Minnesota
- Representative Lois Capps of California
- Representative Frank Pallone of New Jersey
If you have time, please also call the House and Senate leaders and tell them not to allow any further cuts to the Prevention and Public Health Fund. Get the latest talking points to help guide your conversation.
- House Speaker John Boehner: 202-225-6205
- House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi: 202-225-4965
- Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid: 202-224-3542
- Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell: 202-224-2541
Get involved:
Thank you for taking action to support prevention. Here's how you can help spread the word and learn more:
- Read PI's Rob Waters' series on his Forbes.com blog, exploring the many ways that federal prevention funding like the Prevention and Public Health Fund is already saving money and lives across the country.
- Monitor the conversation on prevention: Stay up-to-date with our hand-picked examples of current op-eds and letters that make the case for community prevention. Sign up for our Health Reform Rapid Response and become a community prevention media advocate with letter-to-the-editor, op-ed and advocacy opportunities, delivered weekly to your inbox. (Read through the archives, here.)
- Get the latest talking points, designed to help you make the case for community prevention.
- Explore our Media Advocacy Toolkit for tips on elevating your community's prevention successes to complement your outreach activities.
- Read the National Prevention Strategy, the nation's first comprehensive, coordinated plan to improve the health of Americans through prevention. The strategy was developed by the National Prevention Council, which is composed of 17 federal agencies who consulted with outside experts and stakeholders.
- Find examples of community prevention success in action.
- Sign on to the 'Principles for Quality Prevention in Health Reform,' a shared set of principles that aims to ensure the highest quality in our national prevention efforts.
Upcoming Webinar Information and Materials:
- Find information from the previous webinar, Where We Stand and What's Ahead: Public Health and the Prevention Fund held on November 14th, 2012, which discussed future of public health and prevention funding, shared prevention work underway across the country, and highlighted action steps to protect public health and prevention funding. Get more information.
- Find recordings and slides from our previous webinar: Protecting Community Prevention and Funding for Public Health: Update and Resources for Action, on February 15th, 2012, 11:30 am - 12:30 pm PST. Register now.
- Get information from our previous webforum, Taking Action to Support the Prevention and Public Health Fund on January 18th, 11:30 a.m. PST (2:30 p.m. EST). Please register now.
- Send a letter to urge your Congressperson to oppose efforts to reduce, eliminate, or divert the Prevention and Public Health Fund as a pay-for for doc fix, the payroll tax extension, or the unemployment benefits extension.
- Protecting Prevention in the Affordable Care Act: Sharing the Evidence, Putting Leadership and Resources into Action. Access resources, presentations, and listen to our webinar discussing the latest from Capitol Hill, and share legislative outreach tools and messages to use during the August recess to educate leaders and decision makers.
- Putting the "Transformation" in Community Transformation Grants: Building Momentum for Equity and Prevention Access resources, presentations, and listen to our webinar on strategies for leveraging Community Transformation Grants to achieve meaningful, and sustainable community transformations.
- Educating Elected Officials: Effective Strategies for Prevention and Public Health: Access resources, presentations, and listen to our webinar discussing how to effectively educate elected officials about the value of prevention and public health-related programs with an emphasis on outcomes and results, as well as updates on the Super Committee and deficit reduction plans.
