The Prevention and Public Health Fund was established in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) to assist states and communities in their efforts to promote healthy living as well as improve the capacity to prevent, detect, and manage disease. Last year, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) disbursed $500 million from the fund, of which $100 million went to states and communities to fight obesity, increase HIV testing, promote tobacco quit lines, expand mental health and substance abuse programs and track, monitor and respond to disease outbreaks. HHS recently announced that it will distribute $750 million in 2011 focusing on four critical priorities:
- $298 million will support Community Prevention activities, including the Community Transformation Grant program, as well as initiatives using evidenced-based interventions, tobacco prevention, and obesity prevention and fitness.
- $182 million will be invested in Clinical Prevention to improve access to wellness and preventive services and assist communities with the integration of primary care services with behavioral health settings.
- $137 million is dedicated to strengthen Public Health Infrastructure and Training through improvements in information technology, workforce training, policy development, as well as improved epidemiology and laboratory capacity to respond to infectious disease outbreaks.
- $133 million supports Research and Tracking for health care surveillance and planning and prevention research.
A detailed breakdown of how the funds will be allocated is available here.
