On April 8, APA joined 191 organizations in sending a letter to the House and Senate Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies (Labor-HHS) appropriations subcommittee on behalf of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. The groups urged funding the center’s Social Determinants of Health program at $50 million to build upon the initial investment of $3 million in FY 2021. The funds will ensure that public health departments, academic institutions, and nonprofit organizations are adequately supported to address the social determinants of health.
The organizations highlighted the need to address the social and economic conditions, collectively referred to as the social determinants of health, including housing, employment, food security, and education, contributing significantly to individual health outcomes over a lifetime. The groups emphasized that with “appropriate funding and technical assistance, more communities could engage in opportunities to address social determinants of health that contribute to high health care costs and preventable inequities in health outcomes.”
Meanwhile, the Biden administration’s even bolder topline FY 2022 discretionary funding proposal was released on April 9, which includes $153 million for the CDC’s Social Determinants of Health program, an increase of $150 million over the FY 2021 enacted level, “to support all States and Territories in improving health equity and data collection for racial and ethnic populations.” The organizations plan to support this robust funding proposal in a follow-up letter.
For more information contact, Angela L. Sharpe, MG.