March 19, 2010—With today's release of hundreds of millions of dollars to communities across the county through the ARRA Communities Putting Prevention to Work (CPPW) initiative, the federal government has provided critical support for states, cities, rural areas and tribes to advance prevention and improve equity.
Still, hundreds of other communities are ready and willing to create change in their neighborhoods, too. Here are some next steps the government should take:
- Expand their understanding and funding of prevention, focusing not just on chronic disease prevention, but including other community concerns such as violence prevention, health and safety, health equity and sexual health.
- Stream even more money towards the proposals that were approved, but for whom there was simply not enough funding.
- Set aside significant additional resources to build capacity in communities where there is interest in prevention work, but where there is still a need for more skills and expertise.
The CPPW initiative serves as a testament to the work that has already taken place across the country to create healthier food and activity environments. We congratulate the communities that received grants today, and the federal government for recognizing the critical role of prevention in healthy and equity. We hope this important funding sets the stage for permanent and greater resources for community prevention through future federal legislation.
See the full list of CPPW project descriptions on the HHS site.
For more information on the importance of quality prevention in federal policy, we invite you to read our article, Strengthening What Works: Critical Provisions for Prevention and Public Health in Health Reform Legislation.
