The CDC Coalition Requests at Least $7.9 Billion for CDC for Fiscal Year 2003

2/4/2002

From: CDC Coalition, 202-777-2513

WASHINGTON, Feb. 4 -- The CDC Coalition is a nonpartisan association of more than 100 groups committed to strengthening public health programs at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Their mission is to make disease and injury prevention and health promotion top priorities in federal funding, to support a funding level that enables CDC to carry out its prevention mission, and to foster translation of new research into effective state and local health programs. A federal response to the health effects of terrorism, long a part of CDC's mandate, is more critical than ever.

"The Nation's Prevention Agency" is responsible for programs in infectious disease surveillance, control and prevention, injury control, health in the workplace, prevention of heart disease, cancer, stroke, obesity and other chronic diseases, improvements in nutrition and immunization, environmental effects on health, prevention of birth defects, laboratory analyses, outbreak investigation and epidemiology training, and data collection and analysis on a host of vital statistics and other health indicators.

CDC also plays a key role in preventing and responding to complex disasters, and is the lead agency for bioterrorism preparedness at the federal, state and local levels. In December 2001, Congress provided CDC with $2.1 billion in supplemental funding for bioterrorism programs. Before September 11, 2001, state and local health officials struggled with understaffing and antiquated equipment, and often lacked Internet and e-mail capability. Supplemental funding will begin the process of upgrading capacity at CDC and at state and local health departments, and building stockpiles of essential drugs and vaccines. To fully fill these gaps, made so evident when America coped with anthrax attacks and hoaxes, we need a sustained funding commitment. Still unmet are needs for more trained public health personnel in our states, territories, and more than 3000 local health departments, and comprehensive state and local plans for the public health response to bioterrorism and other disasters, including rapid detection of cases, and the means of rapid distribution of stockpiled drugs and vaccines.

About 75 percent of CDC funding is delivered to state and local public health officials to collect information on health status, and to implement programs appropriate for their communities. They persist in battling tenacious public health problems such as smoking, diabetes and syphilis, and new challenges such as bioterrorism, asthma, Hepatitis C and obesity. The success of public health and prevention activity depends on sound service delivery in every locale, and progress beyond the treadmill of merely holding these problems at bay.

After reviewing program performance and funding levels for FY 2002, Coalition members believe that to fill existing unmet needs and to achieve CDC's mission to promote health and quality of life by preventing and controlling disease, injury, and disability,

CDC requires a budget of at least $7.9 billion for fiscal year 2003.