February 2010

NACCHO Advocates for Support for Public Health Jobs

NACCHO has called on the Senate leadership to include funding for public health personnel in its jobs agenda. NACCHO survey research has found that in the first half of 2009, 8,000 local health department jobs were lost and an additional 12,000 workers faced mandatory furloughs. During this time period, 55 percent of local health departments reported cutting services. Collectively, state and local health departments have lost more than 17,000 employees and tens of thousands of others are underemployed.

NACCHO will continue to advocate with key Senators for relief for local health departments facing ongoing budget cuts and job losses.

Click here for a copy of a joint letter sent to Senators from NACCHO and the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials. More information on job losses at local health departments can be found here.

President’s Budget Released with Funding for Public Health

On February 1, President Obama released his budget for Fiscal Year 2011. The budget for the Department of Health and Human Services is $81 billion in discretionary spending. Specific details about public health funding in the budget can be found here.

A new big cities initiative is included in the National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. This initiative will provide $20 million for up to 10 of the largest cities in the U.S. to implement evidence-based programs using proven policy, environmental, and systems change strategies to address three public health priorities: tobacco prevention and control; obesity prevention and control (through improved nutrition and physical activity); and chronic disease detection and management. The goal of the program is to reduce rates of morbidity, disability, and premature mortality due to chronic diseases in these population centers.

The budget as proposed includes an increase of $14 million in funding for the Section 317 program, but cuts funds for state infrastructure grants by $13 million.

The budget also includes $10 million for a new program called the Health Prevention Corps. This program will recruit new personnel into service for local and state health departments and provide the building blocks for creating a strong, interdisciplinary workforce. The program will target disciplines such as epidemiology, environmental health and laboratory. These funds are intended to establish a management plan for staffing and program administration, convene stakeholders to establish the program framework, and develop a curriculum for Corps members.

Congress will now move to consider the budget through its annual appropriations process. NACCHO staff will keep you updated at our budget webpage.