ADHS
News Release:
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Health Department Releases State’s First Integrated Plan To Prevent Chronic Disease |
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE –
October 14, 2005 |
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| Contact: |
Michael Murphy, ADHS Communications Director: (602) 542-1094
Mary Ehlert, ADHS Public Information Officer: (602) 364-1201; (602) 721-0532 |
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The State Health Department will release Arizona’s first comprehensive chronic disease management plan on Wednesday, Oct. 19 at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, 2532 W. Peoria Ave. in Phoenix.
Arizona is one of four states nationwide to receive funding from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to create an integrated plan to help prevent chronic disease. Historically, funding and resulting programs have been targeted for disease-specific interventions. The Arizona Department of Health Services (ADHS) worked with the Tax Revenue, Use, Spending and Tracking (TRUST) Commission to develop the Arizona Chronic Disease Plan: An Integrated Model For Promoting Healthy Communities.
“This plan is unique in that it encompasses several different disease categories and the associated risk factors,” ADHS Director Susan Gerard said. “For the first time, we are looking at ways to implement key intervention strategies for chronic diseases across the board. It is a very innovative public health approach.”
In addition, the plan helps identify funding priorities for a portion of the Tobacco Tax revenue. The priorities address prevention and early detection of the four disease-related causes of death, including heart disease, cancer, lung disease and stroke.
Once the Plan is presented to the public, the Health Department will provide technical assistance to community partners in implementation. Proposed interventions include promoting healthy lifestyles as primary prevention for chronic disease, improving data and surveillance systems, developing policies to support healthy communities, and promoting access to quality personal and population-based health services.
“We hope our community health providers become as excited as we are about this new approach to chronic disease prevention,” Gerard said.
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