Trust For Americas Health

TRUST FOR AMERICAS HEALTH PROMOTES OPTIMAL HEALTH FOR EVERY PERSON AND COMMUNITY AND MAKES THE PREVENTION OF ILLNESS AND INJURY A NATIONAL PRIORITY.

IN 2022, TRUST FOR AMERICAS HEALTH (TFAH) CONTINUED TO ADVANCE ITS MISSION TO PROMOTE OPTIMAL HEALTH FOR EVERY PERSON AND COMMUNITY AND MAKE THE PREVENTION OF ILLNESS AND INJURY A NATIONAL PRIORITY. AS A NONPROFIT, NONPARTISAN PUBLIC HEALTH POLICY, RESEARCH, AND ADVOCACY ORGANIZATION, TFAH ENVISIONS A NATION THAT VALUES THE HEALTH AND WELL-BEING OF ALL AND WHERE PREVENTION AND HEALTH EQUITY ARE FOUNDATIONAL TO POLICYMAKING AT ALL LEVELS OF SOCIETY. ACROSS THE RANGE OF PUBLIC HEALTH ISSUES TFAH ADDRESSED, INCLUDING PUBLIC HEALTH EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS, PUBLIC HEALTH FUNDING, OBESITY AND CHRONIC DISEASE PREVENTION, INFECTIOUS DISEASE, SUBSTANCE MISUSE AND SUICIDE, HEALTHY AGING, HEALTH EQUITY, SOCIAL DETERMINANTS OF HEALTH, AND PREVENTION, TFAH PROMOTED PUBLIC HEALTH POLICIES THAT AFFECT THE ENTIRE NATION, WITH AN EMPHASIS ON HOW SUCH POLICIES AND PROGRAMS CAN PROMOTE HEALTHY INDIVIDUALS AND COMMUNITIES REGARDLESS OF GEOGRAPHY.TFAH MAINTAINS AND ENHANCES ITS WORK WITH PARTNERS ON HIGH-IMPACT HEALTH ISSUES. THROUGHOUT ITS EFFORTS, TFAH IS ALSO COMMITTED TO ADVANCING HEALTH EQUITY AND ADDRESSING THE SOCIAL DETERMINANTS OF HEALTH, WHICH ARE THE CONDITIONS IN WHICH PEOPLE ARE BORN, GROW, WORK, LIVE, AND AGE, INCLUDING THROUGH COLLABORATIVE, MULTISECTORAL APPROACHES. TFAHS WORK IS GUIDED BY VALUES OF EQUITY, INDEPENDENCE, EVIDENCE-BASED, TRUST, PARTNERSHIPS, INNOVATION, AND FINANCIAL STEWARDSHIP.TFAHS PROJECTS FOCUSED ON ADVANCING AN EVIDENCE-BASED PUBLIC HEALTH SYSTEM THAT IS READY TO MEET THE CHALLENGES OF THE 21ST CENTURY. TFAH SUCCESSFULLY PUBLISHED EVIDENCE-BASED REPORTS; DEVELOPED AND ADVANCED EFFECTIVE POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS AND APPROACHES; CONVENED LEARNING COLLABORATIVES; SPEARHEADED TARGETED INITIATIVES AND OUTREACH; COLLABORATED WITH PARTNERS AT THE NATIONAL, STATE, AND LOCAL LEVELS; AND PRODUCED EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES.AMONG TFAHS ACCOMPLISHMENTS IN 2022:TFAH, IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE DE BEAUMONT FOUNDATION, THE CDC FOUNDATION AND THE KRESGE FOUNDATION, CONTINUED TO EXPAND THE WORK OF THE PUBLIC HEALTH COMMUNICATIONS COLLABORATIVE (PHCC) TO SUPPORT STATE AND LOCAL PUBLIC HEALTH DEPARTMENTS EXTERNAL MESSAGING AND STRENGTHEN THEIR COMMUNICATIONS CAPACITY BY HELPING PUBLIC HEALTH OFFICIALS BE TIMELY, CLEAR, CREDIBLE, AND EFFECTIVE MESSENGERS. AS AN IMPORTANT AND TRUSTED RESOURCE, PHCC PRODUCTS INCLUDED WEBINARS, AND VIA ITS WEBSITE, MESSAGING GUIDANCE, ANSWERS TO TOUGH QUESTIONS, COVID-19 MISINFORMATION TRACKING, AND DOWNLOADABLE/SHAREABLE SOCIAL GRAPHICS. YEAR-END METRICS INCLUDE: 365K WEBSITE PAGE VIEWS INCLUDING SITE VISITORS FROM EVERY STATE; 36.8K EMAIL SUBSCRIBERS (REPRESENTING A 12.5% INCREASE FROM THE PREVIOUS YEAR); 33.6K FILES DOWNLOADS; 9 NEW MESSAGING TOOLKITS CREATED; 53 NEW ANSWERS TO TOUGH QUESTIONS MATERIALS CREATED; AND 3 WEBINARS HOSTED WITH 3,700 TOTAL ATTENDEES. PHCC ALSO RELEASED COMMUNICATING THROUGH COVID-19 AND BEYOND, A TRENDS REPORT FEATURING INSIGHTS AND LEARNINGS FROM PUBLIC HEALTH COMMUNICATORS ACROSS THE COUNTRY.TFAH PLANNED AND HOSTED A CONGRESSIONAL BRIEFING AND NATIONAL WEBINAR ON ITS RELEASE OF READY OR NOT: PROTECTING THE PUBLICS HEALTH FROM DISEASE, DISASTERS, AND BIOTERRORISM. AS THE NATION ENTERED ITS THIRD YEAR OF THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC, TFAHS 2022 REPORT CALLED FOR URGENT INVESTMENT TO CREATE A PUBLIC HEALTH SYSTEM ABLE TO PROTECT ALL AMERICANS HEALTH DURING EMERGENCIES. THE REPORT MEASURED STATES DEGREE OF PREPAREDNESS TO RESPOND TO A WIDE SPECTRUM OF HEALTH EMERGENCIES AND TO PROVIDE ONGOING PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICES. DURING THE BRIEFING, A PANEL OF SUBJECT MATTER EXPERTS DISCUSSED THE NATIONS READINESS FOR PUBLIC HEALTH EMERGENCIES, EXAMINED THE FINDINGS OF THE REPORT, AND DISCUSSED KEY RECOMMENDATIONS FOR POLICYMAKERS.TFAH PLANNED AND HOSTED A NATIONAL WEBINAR ENTITLED BEYOND EMERGENCY FUNDING: SUSTAINING PUBLIC HEALTH FUNDING IN THE POST-COVID LANDSCAPE. TFAH AND THE COALITION FOR HEALTH FUNDING CONVENED EXPERTS IN PUBLIC HEALTH POLICY AND FUNDING TO CLEARLY EXPLAIN THE NEED FOR ROBUST, SUSTAINABLE PUBLIC HEALTH FUNDING AND HOW IT MUST BE CONSIDERED SEPARATELY FROM THE COVID-19 EMERGENCY.TFAH PLANNED AND HOSTED A CONGRESSIONAL BRIEFING AND NATIONAL WEBINAR ON ITS RELEASE OF PAIN IN THE NATION: THE EPIDEMICS OF ALCOHOL, DRUG AND SUICIDE DEATHS. DEATHS ASSOCIATED WITH ALCOHOL, DRUGS, AND SUICIDE TOOK THE LIVES OF 186,763 AMERICANS IN 2020, A 20 PERCENT ONE YEAR INCREASE IN THE COMBINED DEATH RATE AND THE HIGHEST NUMBER OF SUBSTANCE MISUSE DEATHS EVER RECORDED FOR A SINGLE YEAR. DURING THE BRIEFING, A PANEL OF SUBJECT MATTER EXPERTS DISCUSSED THE NEED FOR A COMPREHENSIVE APPROACH THAT FOCUSES ON THE UNDERLYING CAUSES OF THESE DEATHS OF DESPAIR THAT CAN HELP HEAL INDIVIDUALS AND COMMUNITIES AND MAKE THEM MORE RESILIENT.TFAHS ONGOING PARTNERSHIP WITH THE JOHN A. HARTFORD FOUNDATION CONTINUED TO SUPPORT THE NATIONAL SPREAD OF THE AGE-FRIENDLY PUBLIC HEALTH SYSTEMS (AFPHS) MOVEMENT. HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDED: THREE STATE DEPARTMENTS OF HEALTH AND 30 LOCAL DEPARTMENTS OF HEALTH ACHIEVED RECOGNITION THROUGH THE AFPHS RECOGNITION PROGRAM. IN ADDITION, TFAH LAUNCHED AN INDIVIDUAL LEVEL RECOGNITION, WITH OVER 80 INDIVIDUALS ACROSS TEN STATES HAVING RECEIVED THIS DESIGNATION AS AFPHS CHAMPIONS. TFAH PUBLISHED AN ARTICLE IN THE AMERICAN SOCIETY ON AGINGS GENERATIONS JOURNAL ON THE POSITIVE IMPACT OF PUBLIC HEALTH ENGAGEMENT IN HEALTHY AGING DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC. THE ARTICLE NOTES THE VALUE OF THE PUBLIC HEALTH SECTOR IN ENSURING ACCESS TO THE COVID-19 VACCINE FOR INDIVIDUALS WHO NEEDED VACCINE ADMINISTRATION IN THEIR HOMES. IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE ASSOCIATION OF STATE AND TERRITORIAL HEALTH OFFICIALS, TFAH PUBLISHED AN ARTICLE IN THE JOURNAL OF PUBLIC HEALTH MANAGEMENT AND PRACTICE DESCRIBING A CROSSWALK BETWEEN GEORGIA STATE PLAN ON AGING AND STATE HEALTH IMPROVEMENT PLAN THAT RESULTED IN UNIQUE COLLABORATION BETWEEN THE PUBLIC HEALTH AND AGING SERVICES AGENCIES. IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE INSTITUTE FOR HEALTHCARE IMPROVEMENT (IHI) AND THE MICHIGAN HEALTH AND HOSPITAL ASSOCIATION, TFAH HELPED TO CREATE AN IMPLEMENTATION GUIDE, WORKBOOK, AND CARE JOURNEY MAPS ON THE THREE KEYS TO CROSS-SECTOR AGE-FRIENDLY CARE. THESE MATERIALS IDENTIFY CHANGE IDEAS FOR THE PUBLIC HEALTH AND HEALTH CARE SYSTEMS TO BETTER MEET THE NEEDS OF OLDER ADULTS ACROSS THE CARE JOURNEY.TFAH PLANNED AND HOSTED A CONGRESSIONAL BRIEFING AND NATIONAL WEBINAR ON ITS RELEASE OF STATE OF OBESITY 2022: BETTER POLICIES FOR A HEALTHIER AMERICA. THIS BRIEFING EXPLORED THE FINDINGS FROM THE REPORT, WHICH FOUND OBESITY RATES CONTINUE TO CLIMB NATIONWIDE AND WITHIN POPULATION GROUPS. PANELISTS DISCUSSED THE LATEST DATA ON OBESITY AND ITS IMPACTS, PROMISING APPROACHES TO ENSURE HEALTHIER COMMUNITIES, AND OFFERED POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS THAT CAN HELP ALL AMERICAN LEAD HEALTHIER LIVES. TFAH ALSO COLLABORATED WITH THE WHITE HOUSE TO COORDINATE THE TIMING OF THE REPORT WITH THE RELEASE OF THE WHITE HOUSE NATIONAL STRATEGY ON HUNGER, NUTRITION, AND HEALTH, WHICH CITED TFAHS REPORT DATA. PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN ALSO CITED TFAHS STATISTIC OF 19 STATES HAVING ADULT OBESITY RATES AT OR ABOVE 35 PERCENT DURING HIS REMARKS AT THE WHITE HOUSE CONFERENCE ON HUNGER, NUTRITION AND HEALTH.TFAH PUBLISHED AND DISSEMINATED THE IMPACT OF CHRONIC UNDERFUNDING ON AMERICAS PUBLIC HEALTH SYSTEM: TRENDS, RISKS, AND RECOMMENDATIONS, 2022. THIS ANNUAL REPORT TRACKS FEDERAL, STATE, AND LOCAL INVESTMENT IN PUBLIC HEALTH AND HOW UNDERINVESTMENT IN PUBLIC HEALTH PROGRAMS HOBBLED THE COVID-19 RESPONSE, EXACERBATES HEALTH INEQUITIES, AND CONTINUES TO PUT AMERICANS' LIVES AND LIVELIHOODS AT RISK.