"THERE IS NO DOWNSIDE TO PREVENTION," SAYS CDC DIRECTOR
HHS highlights importance of physical activity; will fund PA initiatives

Last Thursday (Sept. 17), Kathleen Sebelius, Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), and Dr. Thomas Frieden, Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), announced that $373 million will be made available to fund the “Communities Putting Prevention to Work” program. This program is part of the larger Community Prevention and Wellness Initiative taking place at HHS, which was provided with $650 million by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA).

The two officials also focused on the importance of prevention, with Frieden stating that “there is no downside to prevention” and noting that physical activity and healthy lifestyles are key to prevention.

The goal of the Communities Putting Prevention to Work program is to highlight prevention and wellness strategies in local communities (particularly high-need communities) and will fund projects designed to:

• Increase physical activity;
  
• Improve nutrition;
  
• Decrease obesity;
  
• Decrease the use of tobacco; and
  
• Decrease the exposure to secondhand smoke.