APHA Government Relations contacted all members and affiliates this week.  They are reminding everyone what we have to lose if we don't act now to protect public health programs at risk of being cut.

On September 21, the Senate Appropriations Committee passed its bill funding the Labor, Health and Human Services and Education Departments for Fiscal Year 2012. Overall, the FY 2012 Labor-HHS-Education bill totals $158 billion and is $308 million BELOW the FY 2011 comparable funding level.

Does increased spending on public health outreach and initiatives actually translate to better health? A new study suggests that it does. After reviewing data compiled over a 13-year period, researchers found that for each 10 percent increase in local public health spending, mortality rates related to diseases such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and cancer dipped between 1.1 and 6.9 percent.