Health Promotion Council Delivers First Report
As required, the council -- which includes Labor Secretary Hilda Solis, EPA's Lisa Jackson, the surgeon general, and six other government agency chiefs -- delivered its report and action plan on July 1.
A council of top U.S. government agency officials formed to advance public health and wellness has delivered its first report right on schedule. The 2010 Annual Status Report from the National Prevention, Health Promotion and Public Health Council will be developing a strategy through March 2011 and coordinating its implementation thereafter.
The council has a broad mission: focus on preventing leading causes of death and prioritize high-impact interventions. The council's members certainly have clout. They are Surgeon General Regina Benjamin (chair), Labor Secretary Hilda Solis, HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, Education Secretary Arne Duncan, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano, EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson, Federal Trade Commission Chairman Jon Leibowitz, Office of National Drug Control Policy Director R. Gil Kerlikowske, Domestic Policy Council Director Melody Barnes, Interior Assistant Secretary-Indian Affairs Larry Echo Hawk, and Patrick Covington, CEO of the Corporation for National and Community Service.
Combined, these organizations promote food safety and healthy diets, workplace safety, air quality, physical fitness, and injury prevention.
The report lists the burden represented by the five leading causes of death in the United States: heart disease, cancer, stroke, chronic lower respiratory disease, and unintentional injuries. The report lists examples of effective interventions and includes a timeline for the council's work.
President Obama signed the executive order establishing the council on June 10, 2010.