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NACCHO Declares Proposed Legislation Would Endanger Public Health Safety Net

The CHAMPIONING HEALTHY KIDS Act Cuts Fund for Prevention and Public Health by 75%

WASHINGTON, DC, UNITED STATES, November 1, 2017 /EINPresswire.com/ -- The National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO), representing nearly 3,000 local governmental health departments, opposes the “CHAMPIONING HEALTHY KIDS Act” (H.R. 3299). While NACCHO wholeheartedly supports the programs being extended by this legislation – including the Community Health Centers and the National Health Service Corps – the bill would radically slash the Prevention and Public Health Fund, upon which the nation’s local health departments depend to maintain the health and safety of the communities they serve. The consequences of such a deep cut to pay for the CHAMPIONING HEALTHY KIDS Act are potentially devastating.

“While the CHAMPIONING HEALTHY KIDS Act supports important healthcare programs, it comes at the expense of core public health initiatives, including immunization, diabetes, and heart disease prevention at the state and local levels,” said NACCHO Interim Executive Director and Chief of Government Affairs Laura Hanen, MPP. “The near elimination of the Prevention and Public Health Fund would result in deep cuts to local health departments’ activities, including responding to infectious disease outbreaks including Hepatitis A, mumps, and measles, as well as recovering from hurricanes and forest fires. There has to be a better solution than shifting scarce resources from one safety-net program to another. Our communities deserve better. Our local health departments depend on the continued financial support provided by the Prevention and Public Health Fund, which is absolutely critical to their success.”

The Prevention and Public Health Fund makes up 12% of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) funding. Among the CDC programs at risk are the 317 Immunization Program, Epidemiology and Laboratory Capacity, Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program, Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention, and Diabetes Prevention.

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About NACCHO
The National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) represents the nation's nearly 3,000 local governmental health departments. These city, county, metropolitan, district, and tribal departments work every day to protect and promote health and well-being for all people in their communities. For more information about NACCHO, please visit www.naccho.org.

Theresa Spinner
National Association of County and City Health Officials
202-783-5551
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