National Prevention and Health Promotion Strategy

(National Prevention Strategy)

December 22, 2010
An important component of the Affordable Care Act, the National Prevention, Health Promotion, and Public Health Council (National Prevention Council) brings together seventeen federal departments and agencies to plan and coordinate prevention efforts across the government and the nation through the development of the National Prevention and Health Promotion Strategy (National Prevention Strategy).  To provide guidance to the National Prevention Council, the President will establish an Advisory Group on prevention, health promotion, and integrative and public health composed of no more than 25 nonfederal members.  It is anticipated that the Advisory Group will be announced early in 2011.
The National Prevention Strategy provides an unprecedented opportunity to shift the nation from a focus on sickness and disease to one based on wellness and prevention.  It brings together the many sectors that affect the health of Americans, including transportation, education, housing, and health.  Bringing a focus on the prevention of disease and promotion of wellness to the forefront of our efforts will help lead to longer, healthier, and more productive lives for all Americans.  The job of implementing the National Prevention Strategy must include the participation, coordination, leadership, and commitment of all parts of society, including public and private partners, in order to successfully improve the health of Americans.
A Draft Framework to guide the development of the National Prevention Strategy was made available for public comment from October 1 – December 5, 2010.  Guided by this public input, the National Prevention Council has now developed a preliminary set of Draft Recommendations – overarching priorities with a focus on communities – that will greatly improve health and wellness in the United States.  The final National Prevention Strategy will also include specific actions that the federal government and others in the public, private, and non-profit sectors can take to achieve these priority Recommendations.   The Recommendations and Action Items in the final National Prevention Strategy will be based on evidence based interventions.  It will also reflect the importance of tracking progress to ensure accountability.   As National Prevention Council members and Designees receive public input, they will continue to refine the content and plan to release the final National Prevention Strategy in 2011.
For more details, see National Prevention Strategy.