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| HHS to Award Healthy Community Grants to Support Local Programs to Prevent Diabetes, Asthma and Obesity |
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HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson today encouraged states, cities and other
local government agencies to propose innovative, community-based programs to
prevent diabetes, asthma and obesity as part of a new grants program. The
grants will be awarded to support local projects that will demonstrate
approaches to reduce the prevalence and impact of the three common chronic
health conditions in local communities.
The grants are being made available as part of the department's $15 million
Steps to a HealthierUS initiative, which advances President Bush's
HealthierUS goal of helping Americans live better, longer, and healthier
lives. The President's fiscal year 2004 budget proposal would
substantially increase the investment in this initiative to a total of $125
million, $110 million more than the amount appropriated by Congress in the
current fiscal year.
"To truly change our attitudes to focus on preventing chronic diseases
rather than simply treating them, we need to reach Americans in their homes
and neighborhoods with innovative programs that prevent diabetes and obesity
and improve asthma management," Secretary Thompson said. "We've all got to
think outside the box. The communities awarded the grants will help lead
the country in changing our healthcare model from one that only treats the
sick to one that successfully promotes better health."
The competitively awarded grants will fund more than a dozen demonstration
projects in communities across the country. Local health departments, state
health departments and tribal governments are eligible to apply for the
grants.
Under the grants program, HHS will award about $13.7 million to communities
with the strongest proposals to enhance access to health services, encourage
preventive behaviors and improve the overall health of the community by
targeting those populations with the greatest needs. Communities selected
for grant awards will use federal resources to build partnerships between
public and private organizations working in the areas of prevention,
medical, social, educational, business, religious and civic services.
Diabetes, asthma and obesity were chosen as targets not only because of
their debilitating effects and their rapidly increasing prevalence in the
United States but also because of their responsiveness to prevention
measures. The number of people with diabetes in the United States has nearly
doubled in the past decade to 17 million. An estimated 10 million adults
and 5 million children suffer from asthma, and the number of cases of
obesity in the United States has increased more than 50 percent over the
past two decades.
HHS today published a Request for Applications for the new program in Federal
Register. Applications must be submitted by July 15. The request for applications
and other information about the initiative is available at http://www.healthierUS.gov.
In addition, HHS will host an interactive satellite broadcast to explain the
Steps to a HealthierUS initiative to potential applicants and provide assistance
to help them develop proposals. More information about this program is available
at www.phppo.cdc.gov/phtn/RFA.
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