Download Senator Patty Murray United States Senate 154 Russell Senate

419 Third Ave West, Seattle, Washington 98119
www.wspha.org
Senator Patty Murray
United States Senate
154 Russell Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
Senator Maria Cantwell
United States Senate
511 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
May 16, 2016
Dear Senator Murray and Senator Cantwell:
On behalf of Washington State Public Health Association (WSPHA), a non-profit working to
improve the health and safety of Washington residents, I am writing to strongly urge you to
oppose any effort to use the Prevention and Public Health Fund (the Prevention Fund) as an
offset for emergency supplemental funding for our nation’s response to the Zika virus.
Preparing our nation for Zika is vital to our national health security, but we cannot do so at the
expense of preventing and addressing other diseases and conditions. WSPHA joins dozens of
other groups in supporting emergency funding to respond to the Zika virus. Investments in public
health made possible by the Prevention Fund are essential for tackling the biggest health
problems facing this country. They help prepare for and control emerging and persistent
infectious disease threats; antibiotic resistance; the dramatic rise in prescription painkiller and
heroin use; and chronic diseases related to tobacco use, poor nutrition and obesity.
Unfortunately, public health has been chronically underfunded for decades, and public health
funding remains at pre-recession levels. The Prevention Fund is crucial to ensuring the Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) ability to protect the nation’s health. Slashing the
Prevention Fund would leave a nearly $1 billion hole in the CDC budget, as well as the LaborHHS appropriations bill overall. This funding would need to be replaced through regular
appropriations or we risk losing health programs necessary to protect the health of every
American.
In the six years since its inception, the Prevention Fund has invested more than $6 billion in
resources to states, communities, tribal and community organizations in support of communitybased prevention, including tobacco use prevention, healthy eating and active living, as well as
childhood immunizations and clinical prevention. Reducing our investment in the Prevention
Fund would dramatically impede efforts underway to improve health, including:
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The Preventive Health and Health Services Block Grant, which was doubled under
the Prevention Fund and provides all 50 states, the District of Columbia, two American
Indian tribes, and eight U.S. territories with flexible funding to address their unique
public health issues at the state and community level.
419 Third Ave West, Seattle, Washington 98119
www.wspha.org
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The Epidemiology and Laboratory Capacity (ELC) program, which receives $40
million from the Prevention Fund to improve states’ ability to detect, diagnose and
contain disease outbreaks. Without the Prevention Fund, states would lose nearly 40
percent of their disease surveillance funding, which is critical to tracking and responding
to infectious disease outbreaks like the Zika virus.
Funding for the Section 317 Immunization Program, which has been vital to
preventing and responding to measles outbreaks and ensuring access to vaccines.
Protecting American Children from the Dangers of Lead Poisoning: Since FY14, the
Prevention Fund has provided at least $15 million annually to the CDC Healthy Homes
and Lead Poisoning Prevention to provide three-year funding to 29 states, D.C. and five
cities to identify the highest risk areas of children at-risk of lead poisoning and deploy
evidence-based preventive measures.
Expanding Access to Cancer Screenings: In FY 2015, the Prevention Fund provided
$104 million for the National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program,
which is helping states across the country provide cancer screenings to high risk women
who are uninsured or underinsured.
The successful Tips from Former Smokers campaign, which in just its first three months
inspired more than 1.6 million people to try to quit smoking, and more than 100,000
smokers have quit for good.
Since 2010, the Prevention and Public Health Fund has enabled public health agencies in
Washington State to forge cross sector partnerships that exponentially expand the reach and
effectiveness of prevention efforts. In Washington State, this has resulted in:
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1,859 adults with prediabetes or at high risk for type 2 diabetes have enrolled in one of
23 CDC recognized Diabetes Prevention Programs around the state. Washington was
among the top 10 states in percent of eligible population participating in the program.
113 clinics and hospitals around state are approved for Medicaid reimbursement of
Diabetes Self-Management Education Program services – a covered benefit for over
118,000 Apple Health enrollees with diabetes.
7 birthing hospitals have been recognized as Breastfeeding Friendly Washington
Hospitals, a joint program of the Washington DOH and the Washington State Hospital
Association, to recognize hospitals that support breastfeeding as a long term strategy for
improved health outcomes and obesity prevention.
18 cities and towns have adopted complete streets ordinances, making it easier for people
to walk and bike to work, school, parks, and do errands.
80 farmers markets are implementing fruit and vegetable incentives for SNAP (food
stamp) participants (partnership with Washington’s USDA grant for Food Insecurity
Nutrition Incentives).
Over 4,000 childcare providers trained on best practices in physical activity, nutrition
and breastfeeding.
More than 1,200 tobacco users have used Washington’s Tobacco Quitline and (1-800QUIT-NOW) SmartQuit™ phone app to break their addiction to tobacco.
419 Third Ave West, Seattle, Washington 98119
www.wspha.org
Chronic diseases such as cancer, diabetes, lung disease, heart disease, and stroke are responsible
for seven out of 10 deaths and account for 86 percent of health care spending in America. If
current trends continue, by 2030 the United States could spend an additional $66 billion a year
on treating obesity-related conditions, such as heart disease and diabetes, while experiencing a
loss in economic productivity as high as $540 billion.
Investing in disease prevention is the most effective, common-sense way to improve health —
helping to spare millions of Americans from developing preventable illnesses, reducing
healthcare costs and improving the productivity of the American workforce so we can be
competitive with the rest of the world. For these reasons, more than 900 state and national
organizations have pledged their support for the Prevention Fund.
This latest amendment is but one in a series of approaches that appears to be a troubling trend –
proposals to use our dedicated investments in preventing disease as a piggy bank to fund more
treatment or to respond to emergencies. The Zika virus underscores what we and other public
health organizations have been sounding the alarm on for years – we need a sustained, long-term
investment in public health and prevention to ensure our nation’s health and safety. We urge you
to oppose efforts to use the Prevention Fund as an offset for Zika supplemental funding or any
other legislation. Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,
[Signature to be added in PDF]
Jasmine Hutchinson
Managing Director