During his highly anticipated address to Congress, President Barack Obama announced that health care is one of three priority areas for his administration as part of the economic stimulus recovery efforts. This signifies “a historic commitment to comprehensive health care reform, a down payment on the principle that we must have quality, affordable health care for every American,” he said. “Let there be no doubt: Health care reform cannot wait, it must not wait, and it will not wait another year. Our recovery plan makes the largest investment ever in preventive care, because that’s one of the best ways to keep our people healthy and our costs under control.”

The New York Academy of Medicine (NYAM) stands at the forefront of the prevention agenda with a yearlong push into its three current priority areas in urban health including strengthening systems that promote the public’s health and preventing disease. Our participation in initiatives such as the New York State Prevention Agenda, which promotes community based planning and action to tackle the top ten causes of death and disease in New York State, and the Strategic Alliance for Health, a five-year plan in partnership with the NYC DOHMH and key community based organizations in East Harlem, Central Harlem and the South Bronx to decrease tobacco use and improve local opportunities for physical activity and healthy nutrition, allow us to be deeply involved in prevention at the City and State level. On a national level our research contributed to Trust for America’s Health (TFAH) Prevention for a Healthier America report, which made available, for the first time, a Return on Investment (ROI) analysis of community based prevention of tobacco use and promotion of healthy eating and exercise.

On February 18 Governor Paterson came to NYAM to explain his priority focus on assuring significant investments in prevention and primary care for health care spending in New York State including funding from the stimulus package that begins the President’s investment in health system reform. “Prevention is the most underutilized benefit in the healthcare system that we have,” said Governor Paterson. “It has a dual effect. It not only reduces the tendency of untreated people to develop severe illnesses; it also saves money”. The Governor’s agenda is consistent with that of President Obama.

NYAM is pleased to continue its role as a trusted source for advocates, policy makers, elected officials and the public looking to solve and address critical urban health issues, as it has done for the past 161 years. “Prevention in health care is critical now and in the future to manage illness effectively and eventually avoid the human and financial cost of chronic disease and unnecessary hospitalization and emergency care,” said NYAM President, Jo Ivey Boufford, MD. “Investment in community based and individual prevention helps to rebalance our health care system and NYAM will continue to contribute to this agenda that actively and positively affects the lives of people in cities.”

Posted on 02/27/2009

Contact:
Andrew J. Martin
Director of Communications
The New York Academy of Medicine
1216 Fifth Avenue
New York, New York 10029
212-822-7285
www.nyam.org