TRUST FOR AMERICAS HEALTH

In 2024, Trust for Americas Health (TFAH) continued to advance its mission to promote optimal health for every person and community and make the prevention of illness and injury a national priority. As a nonprofit, nonpartisan public health policy, research, and advocacy organization, TFAH envisions a nation that values the health and well-being of all and where prevention and health equity are foundational to policymaking at all levels of society. Across the range of public health issues TFAH addressed, including public health emergency preparedness, public health funding, obesity and chronic disease prevention, infectious disease, substance misuse and suicide, healthy aging, health equity, social determinants of health, and prevention, TFAH promoted public health policies that affect the entire nation, with an emphasis on how such policies and programs can promote healthy individuals and communities regardless of geography.TFAH maintains and enhances its work with partners on high-impact health issues. Throughout its efforts, TFAH is also committed to advancing health equity and addressing the social determinants of health, which are the conditions in which people are born, grow, work, live, and age, including through collaborative, multisectoral approaches. TFAHs work is guided by values of equity, independence, evidence-based, trust, partnerships, innovation, and financial stewardship.TFAHs projects focused on advancing an evidence-based public health system that is ready to meet the challenges and opportunities of the 21st century. TFAH successfully published evidence-based reports; developed and advanced effective policy recommendations and approaches; hosted policy convenings on national and state-focused policy issues; convened learning collaboratives; spearheaded targeted initiatives and outreach; collaborated with partners at the national, state, local, tribal, and territorial levels; and produced educational resources.Among TFAHs accomplishments in 2024:TFAH hosted an in-person and livestream event featuring the release of its Blueprint for6 Strengthening Public Health for the Next Administration and Congress at the National Press Club in Washington, DC. This report is the fifth in a series of reports TFAH publishes every four years to inform the incoming Congress and Administration of key, national public health issues and to advance evidence-informed, actionable recommendations to promote and protect the publics health. The 2024 Blueprint report provided the Administration and Congress taking office in 2025 a policy roadmap to improve the nations health outcomes and bolster its economic and national security by strengthening the public health system. The report includes recommendations across six priority areas and was authored after consultation with over 45 public health officials, experts, and organizations. The event featured highlights from the report as well as engaging conversations with high-profile speakers, including The Honorable Michael O. Leavitt, 20th Secretary of Health and Human Services (2005 to 2009) and former Governor of Utah, and The Honorable Kathleen Sebelius, 21st Secretary of Health and Human Services (2009 to 2014) and former Governor of Kansas.TFAH planned and hosted a congressional briefing and national webinar on its release of Ready or Not 2024: Protecting the Publics Health from Disease, Disasters, and Bioterrorism. This annual report identifies strengths and gaps in national and state preparedness to protect residents health during emergencies and makes recommendations to strengthen the nations public health system and improve emergency readiness. As the nation experiences an increasing number of infectious disease outbreaks and extreme weather events, the report found that while emergency preparedness has improved in some areas, policymakers are not heeding the lessons of past emergencies, funding cuts, and health misinformation, putting decades of progress at risk. During the briefing, a panel of subject matter experts discussed the nations readiness for public health emergencies, examined the report's findings, and discussed key recommendations for policymakers.TFAH planned and hosted a congressional briefing and national webinar on its release of Pain in the Nation 2024: The Epidemics of Alcohol, Drug and Suicide Deaths. This annual report found that a decrease in the alcohol-induced mortality rate led to a slightly lower combined rate of all U.S. deaths due to alcohol, drugs, and suicide in 2022, but the long-term trend of such deaths is still alarmingly high. The report also includes a special feature on polysubstance misuse and overdose. During the briefing, a panel of subject matter experts discussed steps policymakers should take to begin to reverse these crises.TFAH released The Impact of Chronic Underfunding on Americas Public Health System 2024: Trends, Risks, and Recommendations. This annual report tracks federal and state investments in public health and finds that funding for core public health infrastructure has remained relatively flat over the past decade, while the nations population and health risks have increased. According to the report, the countrys rising rates of chronic disease and its insufficient response to the COVID-19 public health emergency were due in part to decades of underinvestment in public health infrastructure and its workforce. A further concern is that the health security advancements made when policymakers increased public health funding in response to the COVID-19 public health emergency are now at risk as this funding comes to an end.TFAH released State of Obesity 2024: Better Policies for a Healthier America. This annual report tracks U.S. obesity rates by state, race, gender, and age and offers policy solutions. Obesity rates nationwide continue to be at epidemic levels and are predominantly highest in communities experiencing barriers to healthy eating and those with few opportunities for physical activity.TFAH released Building Resilience: How Recent Federal Policy is Laying the Groundwork for Improved Climate Adaptation. This policy brief examines the intersections between climate adaptation and public health, analyzing three federal actions: the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, the Inflation Reduction Act, and the Justice40 Initiative. It discusses the value of comprehensive and multisector climate adaptation approaches and the importance of public health agencies being at the table during climate adaptation programs planning. TFAH continued to co-lead the Public Health Communications Collaborative (PHCC). PHCC is a trusted source of messaging and communications support that is used by federal, state, and local public health officials and departments nationwide to support and extend their public communications efforts. PHCCs products include webinars and, via its website, messaging guidance, answers to tough questions, misinformation alerts, and downloadable/shareable social graphics. Topics include vaccine safety and effectiveness, Mpox, H5N1 Bird Flu, countering misinformation, rebuilding trust in the public health system, developing culturally appropriate messaging, and protecting the publics health from climate-related health risks like poor air quality. In 2024, PHCC launched the PHCC Academy, offering no-cost training courses for health communicators.Through TFAHs ongoing partnership with The John A. Hartford Foundation, TFAH continued to lead the Age-Friendly Public Health Systems (AFPHS) movement to elevate healthy aging as a core function at state and local health departments. In 2024, TFAH partnered with the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials, the National Association of County and City Health Officials, and the National Network of Public Health Institutes to develop a comprehensive, capacity-building resource for age-friendly public health. This resource, the AFPHS 6Cs Training and Implementation Guide, was piloted by 10 public health institutes participating in the initiative. TFAH also hosted and facilitated a national Age-Friendly Ecosystem Workshop to examine best practices that promote healthy aging across all levels, identify shared priorities among multiple sectors aimed at achieving better health outcomes for older adults, and develop strategies for deeper, multi-sectoral collaboration.