Coordinated Chronic Disease Program Launched

Coordinated Chronic Disease Program Launched

More than 200 state health department leaders gathered in Atlanta in early March to inaugurate the Coordinated Chronic Disease Program.

Chronic diseases–such as arthritis, heart disease, cancer, and diabetes are the leading causes of death and disability in the United States, accounting for 70% of all deaths and about 75% of the $2.6 trillion the nation spends on health care services.

As part of CDC's continuing effort to accelerate the nation's ability to prevent and control chronic diseases, the agency recently launched an initiative designed to help states deliver the interventions that can help manage chronic diseases and address the multiple "risk factors" or root causes that underlie them–smoking, poor eating habits, lack of physical activity–in a more coordinated and focused way.

The Program

The Coordinated Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion Program (CCDP) was launched in September with the awarding of $39 million to 58 grantees–all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and seven territories–to build and strengthen the capacity of state health departments to prevent chronic disease and promote health at a time when state, local, and federal budgets are coming under severe constraints, resulting in layoffs of many of the nation's public health professionals.

The purpose of the program is to–

• Ensure that every state has a strong foundation for chronic disease prevention and health promotion.
• Provide leadership and expertise to work collaboratively across chronic disease conditions and risk factors to most effectively meet population health needs, especially for populations at greatest risk or with the greatest burden.
• Maximize the reach of categorical chronic disease programs in states (i.e., heart disease and stroke, diabetes, obesity, cancer, arthritis, tobacco, nutrition, and physical activity) by sharing basic services and functions such as data management, communication, and partnership development.
• Improve the way CDC provides assistance to state health departments.

Posted by George Daniels on Wednesday March 28 2012, 4:44 AM EDT. Ref: CDC. Link. All trademarks acknowledged. Filed under Featured News, Health. Comments and Trackbacks closed. Follow responses: RSS 2.0