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March 2023Written Statement of Dr. J. Nadine Gracia to House LHHS Subcommittee on FY24 Appropriatio
22 March 2023
Summary
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS): Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC); Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR) March 23, 2023 Trust for America’s Health (TFAH) is pleased to submit testimony on the fiscal year (FY) 2024 Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies (LHHS) appropriations bill. [...] Funding for the Hospital Preparedness Program (HPP), administered by the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response at HHS, provides critical funding and technical assistance to health care coalitions (HCCs) across the country to meet the disaster healthcare needs of communities, but funding has been cut drastically from $515 million in FY2003 to $305 million in FY2023. [...] A 2022 study found that these programs resulted in significant decreases in sexual risk behaviors, violent experiences, and substance use, as well as improvements in mental health and reductions in suicidal thoughts and attempts.1 TFAH recommends at least $100 million for DASH to expand its work to 75 of the largest local education agencies, 50 states, and 7 territories to reach approximately 25 p. [...] CDC currently supports six state-level offices, institutes, or departments that are implementing ACEs prevention strategies, including economic assistance to families, efforts to connect youth to care, and short-term and long-term interventions to reduce harms.5 TFAH recommends at least $15 million to expand surveillance and ACEs prevention activities to additional states. [...] Among the programs that are effective in reducing racial and ethnic health disparities are the Racial and Ethnic Approaches to Community Health (REACH) program and Healthy Tribes.
