Private Sector Power

Last week’s announcement by CVS Caremark that the company would no longer sell tobacco products has garnered quite a few headlines. This announcement provides another example of how the private sector can promote public health and save lives, something that U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Tom Frieden pointed out in a blog on the Huffington Post over the weekend.

We at the CDC Foundation often sing the praises of the private-sector for taking proactive steps to improve public health, including changes in their own business practices or through public-private partnerships with CDC or other public health organizations. In his blog, Dr. Frieden highlighted several private-sector efforts, including two involving CDC Foundation programs.

One effort, partnering Cargill, the American School Health Association and CDC, involved providing grants to help elementary schools improve physical activity and nutrition for students. The other effort encompassed development of two much-needed public health buildings in Haiti following the 2010 earthquake. This project included support from the GE Foundation, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Kaiser Permanente and Proteus On-Demand.

I believe it is vital for the public and private sectors to work together to bring about positive change in the public’s health. We applaud the work of CVS Caremark and the many other private-sector organizations who are taking up this mantle.