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National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion Chronic Disease Prevention Home | Contact Us |
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In 1981, Congress authorized the Preventive Health & Health Services (PHHS) Block Grant. The PHHS Block Grant gives its 61 grantees (50 states, the District of Columbia, 2 American Indian tribes, and 8 U.S. territories) the autonomy and flexibility to tailor prevention and health promotion programs to their particular public health needs. States are expected to align their programs with Healthy People 2010 national health goals.
This critical public health resource is used to
As states undergo significant budget cuts, they must make every dollar count toward meeting the needs of their populations. The PHHS Block Grant allows states to target funds to address chronic diseases such as diabetes, arthritis, heart disease, and stroke or to direct funds to meet the challenges of outbreaks of infectious diseases such as SARS and West Nile Virus.
The PHHS Block Grant is a major source of funding for health promotion and disease and injury prevention in communities across the nation. A large percentage of these funds are distributed by states to local governments and organizations to address local public health problems. In Iowa, for example, the PHHS Block Grant provided critical funding to expand efforts to improve the cardiovascular health of residents in Johnson County, where community programs did not exist.
PHHS Block Grant Funding, by Chronic Disease Programs
PHHS Block Grant Funding, by Health Programs
Source: CDC, Grant Application and Reporting System (GARS), July 12, 2002.
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Below are examples of ways in which the PHHS Block Grant has played a critical role in supporting and improving the public’s health in 2003.
Ohio’s death rates from chronic disease are among the highest in the United States. Data from the 2000 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System indicate that 78.6% of Ohioans have poor dietary habits, 60% have sedentary lifestyles, 26.2% smoke cigarettes, and 21.5% are obese. The state’s Heart Health project, funded in part by the PHHS Block Grant, is one of the most successful in the Healthy Ohioans program in helping to change behaviors that contribute to poor health. In 2003, 21 projects covering 42 counties and more than 7.3 million residents received $1.93 million from the PHHS Block Grant. Populations at high risk were identified and given priority funding. Projects included developing walking trails, checking the blood pressure of barbershop patrons, and partnering with vending companies to place 5 A Day and Healthy Heart labels on vending machine foods.
Fifty-three percent of all California schoolchildren in grades K–3 had some untreated tooth decay, according to the 1993–1994 Oral Health Needs Assessment. Only 3 years ago, California ranked 48th in the United States for the percentage of residents with fluoridated water. To respond to these problems, the California Department of Health Services leveraged $263,775 in PHHS Block Grant funds to obtain $15 million from the California Endowment to conduct the California Fluoridation Implementation Project to increase community water fluoridation throughout the state. The number of Californians with access to fluoridated water is expected to increase from 6 million (17%) in 1999–2000 to approximately 23 million (66%) by early 2006. This increase will move California to the top one-third of states whose residents have fluoridated water and bring the state closer to the Healthy People 2010 goal of 75% of the population having access to fluoridated drinking water.
Skin cancer is the most common type of cancer in the United States, and incidence rates in Arizona are three times higher than the national average. Arizona reports a 150% increase in melanoma cases and a 44% increase in deaths from melanoma since 1973. The Skin Cancer Foundation estimates that just one blistering sunburn in childhood can double the risk for getting melanoma later in life. The PHHS Block Grant is the sole source of funding ($80,000) for Arizona’s SunWise program. Initiated in 2003, the program provides sun-safety education for children in grades K–8. To date, more than 400 schools statewide have enrolled in the program, and 12,000 children have completed SunWise activities in English or Spanish.
West Virginia faces many challenges in providing prehospital emergency care, including the state’s mountainous topography and limited resources for emergency medical services (EMS). With limited services and personnel, addressing the special needs of children (e.g., obtaining parental consent and immunization information or screening for maltreatment) is even more difficult. To address this need, West Virginia established the EMS for Children program, which receives 62% of its funding from the PHHS Block Grant. Funds are used to develop uniform acute life support protocols for the state’s 282,019 children younger than age 12. This information is distributed to providers who oversee emergency medical technicians and paramedics who respond to pediatric emergencies.
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CDC plays a vital role in ensuring that the states are accountable for the use of funds and ensuring that state block grant coordinators have the necessary knowledge and skills.
The PHHS Block Grant legislation changed in 1994 to require states to submit a state plan that included selected health objectives from Healthy People 2000/2010, descriptions of health problems, target populations, and planned activities. To help track states’ progress toward achieving their objectives, CDC worked with the states to develop the electronic Grant Application and Reporting System (GARS). This accountability tool helps to focus interventions on specific health problems and ensure that grantees are responsible for outcomes.
In 2003, PHHS Block Grant staff members and regional representatives began developing Application and Annual Report Standards (AARS). These standards are designed to enhance the quality of information submitted by grantees and to provide a standard by which each application is reviewed. Implementation of the AARS will increase standardized reporting across all applications and promote access to high-quality data for requested reports.
CDC continues to sponsor the annual PHHS Block Grant Coordinators’ Policy and Training Workshop. The workshop is designed to increase the skills and knowledge of state coordinators. It also allows CDC, in cooperation with the grantees, to guide and influence the role and impact of PHHS Block Grant funds on public health efforts at all levels.
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For more information or additional copies of this document, please contact the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention |
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Privacy
Policy | Accessibility This page last reviewed August 10, 2004 United
States Department of Health and Human Services |
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