ISSUE
Chronic Disease
Heart disease, stroke, cancer, type 2 diabetes and obesity are common and costly, but they are also preventable. The cause of these chronic conditions, illnesses and early deaths are also directly traceable to behaviors such as lack of physical activity, tobacco and alcohol use, and poor nutrition.
Chronic Diseases are Responsible for:
-
86%
of our nation's health care costs
-
70%
of our nation's deaths
Local health departments are key partners in protecting and improving the health of people living in their community. They implement a host of common sense approaches to lower the burden of chronic disease, including increasing access to healthy foods and sponsoring screenings to help residents identify chronic diseases such as diabetes and heart disease. Then they connect people with services and tools to help them get healthier.
Frontline Blog
We Can Strengthen Communities by Committing to Equity
At its core, equity is about acknowledgement, accountability, and action. We must acknowledge that structural injustices have caused disproportionate harm, be accountable and take responsibility, and take action to remedy these harms.