Content area
Full Text
In 2013, the Institute of Medicine reported persistent gaps between the United States and other high-income countries across multiple risk factors, diseases, and health outcomes.1 Large gaps also exist within the United States, and life expectancy appears to be declining in some US counties and population groups.2 These alarming trends cannot be explained by the availability of health care alone; rather, they reflect a complex interplay between the physical and social environment, individual health behaviors, and the health care delivery system.1,2 Achieving progress will require population-based interventions that address these factors that contribute to health.3
THE NATIONAL PREVENTION COUNCIL AND NATIONAL PREVENTION STRATEGY
The Affordable Care Act (ACA) is making great strides in increasing health insurance coverage and transforming the health care delivery system to ensure high quality care. Importantly, the ACA also created a platform for population health improvement through the National Prevention, Health Promotion, and Public Health Council (National Prevention Council), which provides leadership and coordination related to health and prevention at the federal level. The Council is chaired by the Surgeon General and includes the heads of 20 federal departments and agencies (see the box on the next page for a full list of members). Bringing together leaders from a diverse set of federal agencies including the Departments of Agriculture, Defense, Education, Housing and Urban Development, and Transportation, the Council's membership emphasizes that health is not solely the domain of the Department of Health and Human Services; rather, many sectors have a role to play in supporting healthy individuals and communities.
In 2011, the National Prevention Council released the National Prevention Strategy,4 which provides evidence-based recommendations and key indicators across 4 Strategic Directions and 7 targeted Priorities (Figure 1). The National Prevention Strategy explicitly recognizes that many of the strongest predictors of health and well-being fall outside of the health care setting and that social, economic, and environmental factors all influence health. Therefore, its recommendations address a diverse range of partners including businesses and employers, educational institutions, and community organizations as well as local governments and health systems. Its recommendations also...