Trust for America's Health
Encyclopedia
Trust for America's Health (TFAH) is a Washington, D.C.
-based health policy organization. The organization's website calls the group "a non-profit, non-partisan organization dedicated to saving lives by protecting the health of every community and working to make disease prevention a national priority."
TFAH policy reports focus on public health
policy topics such as obesity, food safety, pandemic flu preparations, bioterrorism and emergency preparedness.
The board of directors includes Lowell P. Weicker, Jr.
, former U.S. Senator and Governor of Connecticut.
TFAH issued a series of reports on pandemic flu and created the Working Group on Pandemic Influenza Preparedness with more than 40 other organizations. They also created a series of brochures for families, medical providers, businesses, and community leaders who want to learn more about how to prepare for a possible pandemic.
The TFAH report, Fixing Food Safety: Protecting America's Food Supply from Farm-to-Fork, outlines a plan to reallocate resources and restructure bureaucracy to keep America's food supply more secure.
TFAH issues its annual report, F as in Fat: How Obesity Policies Are Failing in America, to track obesity trends and policies. The group recommends that a National Strategy to Combat Obesity be created with roles for individuals, families, communities, schools, employers, businesses, insurers, and government.
In Germs Go Global: Why Emerging Infectious Diseases Are a Threat to America, TFAH concludes that these diseases have real consequences for the nation's public health system, delivery of medical care, economy, and national security.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
-based health policy organization. The organization's website calls the group "a non-profit, non-partisan organization dedicated to saving lives by protecting the health of every community and working to make disease prevention a national priority."
TFAH policy reports focus on public health
Public health
Public health is "the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through the organized efforts and informed choices of society, organizations, public and private, communities and individuals" . It is concerned with threats to health based on population health...
policy topics such as obesity, food safety, pandemic flu preparations, bioterrorism and emergency preparedness.
The board of directors includes Lowell P. Weicker, Jr.
Lowell P. Weicker, Jr.
Lowell Palmer Weicker, Jr. is an American politician who served as a U.S. Representative, U.S. Senator, and the 85th Governor of Connecticut, and unsuccessfully sought the Republican nomination for President in 1980...
, former U.S. Senator and Governor of Connecticut.
Healthier America Project
The purpose of the Healthier America Project is to address gaps in the nation's health protection system. More than 150 health experts and organizations were convened to identify ways to effectively modernize the public health system. The Project includes the Blueprint for a Healthier America: Modernizing the Federal Public Health System to Focus on Prevention and Preparedness.Pandemic Flu
Flu pandemics occur three to four times each century, and experts predict that a new pandemic influenza outbreak is inevitable. The group estimates that a severe pandemic flu outbreak could result in up to 1.9 million deaths, approximately 9.9 million new hospital patients, and an economic recession with losses of over $680 billion to the U.S. Gross Domestic Product.TFAH issued a series of reports on pandemic flu and created the Working Group on Pandemic Influenza Preparedness with more than 40 other organizations. They also created a series of brochures for families, medical providers, businesses, and community leaders who want to learn more about how to prepare for a possible pandemic.
Food Safety
Approximately 76 million Americans – one in four – are sickened by foodborne diseases each year.The TFAH report, Fixing Food Safety: Protecting America's Food Supply from Farm-to-Fork, outlines a plan to reallocate resources and restructure bureaucracy to keep America's food supply more secure.
Obesity
Adult obesity rates have doubled since 1980, from 15 to 30 percent, while childhood obesity rates have more than tripled.TFAH issues its annual report, F as in Fat: How Obesity Policies Are Failing in America, to track obesity trends and policies. The group recommends that a National Strategy to Combat Obesity be created with roles for individuals, families, communities, schools, employers, businesses, insurers, and government.
Bioterrorism and Public Health Preparedness
TFAH publishes an annual report on public health preparedness called, Ready or Not? Protecting the Public's Health from Diseases, Disasters and Bioterrorism, which examines America's ability to respond to health threats and help identify areas of vulnerability. TFAH also offers a series of recommendations to further strengthen America's emergency preparedness.Emerging Infectious Diseases
According to a National Intelligence Estimate, “newly emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases, many of which are likely to continue to originate overseas, will continue to kill at least 170,000 Americans annually."In Germs Go Global: Why Emerging Infectious Diseases Are a Threat to America, TFAH concludes that these diseases have real consequences for the nation's public health system, delivery of medical care, economy, and national security.