Healthy Americans at Every Stage of Life
As we work to support the work of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), it is exciting to learn about the progress the National Prevention Council has made in the three years since it released the first-ever National Prevention Strategy to refocus our nation on prevention and wellness. The National Prevention Council, chaired by the Surgeon General, includes cabinet heads and leaders from 20 federal departments who are working within their agencies and across the government to advance the National Prevention Strategy and improve the health and quality of life for individuals, families, and communities.
However, the federal government alone cannot create healthier communities. We at the CDC Foundation understand the importance of partners in prevention—organizations ranging from health systems to workforce agencies to national foundations and local nonprofits—to have a collective impact and achieve the National Prevention Strategy’s overarching goal of increasing the number of Americans who are healthy at every stage of life.
The 2014 Annual Status Report features achievements of National Prevention Council departments and partners in prevention that are advancing the National Prevention Strategy and creating healthier environments where the healthy choice is the easy choice. For example, according to CDC, an estimated 1.6 million smokers have attempted to quit smoking because of CDC’s “Tips From Former Smokers” national ad campaign. The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, a CDC Foundation partner, is engaged with the National Prevention Strategy through a variety of efforts including the County Health Rankings and Roadmaps program, which is helping to build a culture of health county by county, across America.
By working together, the National Prevention Council is refocusing our nation on prevention and wellness, creating a society where all sectors are working together to achieve better health for all Americans. To learn more about the National Prevention Strategy, visit www.surgeongeneral.gov/nationalpreventionstrategy and follow #NPSAction activity on social media.