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National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion
Chronic Disease Prevention
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National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion Chronic Disease Prevention Home | Contact Us |
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CENTERS FOR
DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION Special Focus: Heart Disease and Stroke Message from the Director George A. Mensah, MD, FACP, FACC, FESC Acting Director, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion This issue of Chronic Disease Notes & Reports, with a special focus on heart disease and stroke, underscores many of the public health challenges and the important strides we have made in two of the top leading causes of death in the United States. These chronic diseases and their risk factors will not be conquered in doctors offices, clinics, and hospitals, or through individual lifestyle choices; however, as pointed out in this special issue, chronic diseases and their risk factors can be conquered through the health policies and environmental changes we make, effective communication with the public, and renewed emphasis on addressing the social and environmental determinants of health. In talking to our partners and the people whose health we are working to protect, we have learned that chronic diseases, the aging of the U.S. population, and rising health care costs are all top health priorities. The many successes demonstrated in this issue of Chronic Disease Notes & Reports provide a glimpse of the power and promise of prevention in addressing these health concerns. As the nations lead agency for the prevention and control of diseases and injuries, CDC is committed to a public health agenda that balances prevention and treatment on one hand, and individual choices and health-promoting policies and environmental change on the other. At the National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, we are transforming ourselves through the CDC Futures Initiative to continue to excel as an effective public health center that uses the best available science to help the public live longer, happier, high-quality lives. We look forward to strengthening our collaborations and building new partnerships with the National Center for Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities and the Office of Genomics and Disease Prevention, who are now our colleagues in the new Coordinating Center for Health Promotion. Our Center and agency leadership will support nationwide implementation of the Public Health Action Plan to Prevent Heart Disease and Stroke. We will develop and implement a coordinated public health action plan on physical activity, nutrition, and healthy weight for all life stages to stop the epidemic of obesity and chronic disease. We will find ways to support the stability and continued success of the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, an essential public health tool in assessing chronic disease risk factors at the state and local levels. We also remain committed to the Healthy People 2010 overarching goal of eliminating health disparities. The challenges we face are enormous, but so are the potential health benefits and the magnitude of the expected health impact. I hope this issue of Chronic Disease Notes & Reports reflects the kind of progress and outcomes we can expect if we are firm in our commitment to improve the health and quality of life of all people. George A. Mensah, MD, FACP, FACC, FESC Acting Director, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion |
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Privacy
Policy | Accessibility This page last reviewed August 12, 2004 United
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