The mission of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is to protect America from health, safety and security threats. It’s our unique role in government and a responsibility we take seriously. Whether diseases start at home or abroad, or are chronic or infectious, curable or preventable or caused by natural disaster or deliberate attack, CDC fights disease and supports communities and people to do the same. Our goal is simple: Help people live longer, healthier and more productive lives while also lowering health care costs.
When everyone is cutting back, it’s not unreasonable to question how we prioritize.
A discussion about how CDC prioritizes must include an important note: We spend tax dollars as directed by Congress based on recommendations in the president’s budget. Funds are allocated to specific programs and activities (for information, go to: www.cdc.gov/fmo).
One example is the $2.3 million appropriated this past year for preventing excessive alcohol use. Within that allocation, we have discretion on how we use that money.
What problem is Congress asking CDC to tackle with those funds? A big one. Each year, about 80,000 teens and adults die because they drink too much. Alcohol misuse and abuse cost our nation about $224 billion a year and lead to many problems, including car crashes, violence against others, fetal alcohol syndrome, liver disease, cancers and more. Of all the leading causes of harm to health, alcohol may well get the least attention.
Immunizations and food safety are examples of what people often think about when they think about public health. Each year, childhood vaccines prevent 20 million cases of disease and save 42,000 lives – but they also save money, returning 10 dollars in economic benefits for every dollar spent. Americans of all ages benefit from flu vaccinations. The CDC can’t predict the severity of flu each year, but we can predict a flu shot is the best single way to protect your health this flu season.
Nearly 50 million Americans get sick from contaminated food each year, costing us $77 billion annually. We’re on constant alert for potential clusters of food poisoning, preventing outbreaks from spreading and leading to the recall of more than 300 tainted food products last year alone.
There are other pressing health issues exacting a high toll on Americans. As the nation’s public health agency, if we didn’t address problems such as tobacco use, we would be derelict in our duty. The CDC has the knowledge and expertise to help individuals, health care providers and communities reduce costs, decrease illnesses and save lives.
We estimate our “Tips from Former Smokers” ad campaign prompted nearly a quarter-million smokers to quit, and more than 100,000 will likely remain tobacco-free for good. A one-time cost of $54 million will save at least twice that every year in reduced smoking-related health care costs.
The health of our nation is at its strongest when the CDC does what we do best: Find out what’s harming people, figure out how to stop these harms, put programs in place to prevent these harms — and monitor how the programs are working and how we can improve them.
The work of public health has greater potential than ever.
Dr. Thomas Frieden is director of the Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
