Sounds like a GREAT opportunity for radonwork under criteria #5.
----- Forwarded by Bill
Long/DC/USEPA/US on 05/20/2011 09:34 AM -----
From:      
 Remmington Jackson/DC/USEPA/US@EPA
To:      
 Bill Long/DC/USEPA/US@EPA
Date:      
 05/19/2011 07:49 AM
Subject:    
   [care_connection]
[EPA-EJ] $100 million in Affordable Care Act grants to help create healthier
U.S. communities
$100 million in Affordable Care
Act grants to help create healthier U.S. communities
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 19, 2011
Contact: HHS Press Office (202) 690-6343
Prevention grants to focus
on improving health, which can lower costs
The U.S. Department of Health and
Human Services announced today the availability of over $100 million in
funding for up to 75 Community Transformation Grants. Created by the Affordable
Care Act, these grants are aimed at helping communities implement projects
proven to reduce chronic diseases ? such as diabetes and heart disease.
By promoting healthy lifestyles and communities, especially among population
groups experiencing the greatest burden of chronic disease, these grants
will help improve health, reduce health disparities, and lower health care
costs.
?Community Transformation Grants
will empower local communities with resources, information, and flexibility
to help make their residents healthier,? said HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius.
?By helping to transform communities at the ground level, these efforts
can have a major impact on the health of Americans.?
?It is critical that we sustain
our work to develop and spread effective programs that address leading
killers like heart disease, cancer, and stroke,? said Dr. Thomas Frieden,
director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which oversees
the Community Transformation Grants program. ?These funds will allow us
to build on successful programs that have helped people lead healthier
lifestyles and help us save millions in health care costs in the future.?
Chronic diseases such as heart
disease, cancer, stroke, and diabetes are taking a devastating toll on
our nation?s health. Seven of every 10 deaths are from a chronic disease
? mostly caused by tobacco use, obesity, poor diet, and too little physical
activity. Treatment for people with chronic conditions accounts for more
than 75% of the more than $2 trillion spent on annual U.S. medical care
costs. Obesity is a significant health care cost driver; in 2008, about
$147 billion of medical bills were weight-related.
Consistent with the law, these
grants will focus on five priority areas:
1.        Tobacco-free
living;
2.        Active
living and healthy eating;
3.        Evidence-based
quality clinical and other preventive services, specifically prevention
and control of high blood pressure and high cholesterol;
4.        Social
and emotional wellness, such as facilitating early identification of mental
health needs and access to quality services, especially for people with
chronic conditions; and
5.        Healthy
and safe physical environments.
Successful applicants must use
evidence-based strategies and ensure that their activities not only have
broad population impact, but also help address health disparities. Examples
of projects that could qualify for grants include eliminating food deserts
and increasing access to healthy food options, including efforts to improve
school nutrition or bring healthier food to corner markets in urban areas.
Other examples include promoting blood pressure and cholesterol screenings.
Communities may also address additional
areas of disease prevention and health promotion that will contribute to
the overall goal of reducing chronic disease rates. These areas include
adolescent health; arthritis and osteoporosis; cancer; diabetes; disabilities
and secondary conditions; educational and community-based services; environmental
health; HIV; injury and violence prevention; maternal, infant, and child
health; mental health and mental disorders; health of older adults; oral
health; and sexually transmitted diseases.
State and local government agencies,
tribes and territories, and state and local non-profit organizations are
eligible to apply for Community Transformation Grants. At least 20-percent
of grant funds will be directed to rural and frontier areas. Applications
are due to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in July 2011,
with awards expected to be announced near the end of summer. The grants
are expected to run for five years, with projects expanding their scope
and reach over time as resources permit.
The Community Transformation Grants
are one piece of a broader effort by the Obama Administration to address
the health and well-being of our communities through initiatives such as
the President?s Childhood Obesity Task Force, the First Lady?s Let?s Move!
campaign, the National Prevention Strategy, the National Quality Strategy,
and HHS? Communities Putting Prevention to Work program. The Prevention
and Public Health Fund, as part of the Affordable Care Act, is supporting
this and other initiatives designed to expand and sustain the necessary
capacity to prevent disease, detect it early, manage conditions before
they become severe, and provide states and communities the resources they
need to promote healthy living.
For more information about how
the Fund is helping promote prevention in every state, visit www.HealthCare.gov/news/factsheets/prevention02092011a.html.
The official funding opportunity
announcement for the Community Transformation Grants can be found at www.Grants.gov
by searching for CDFA 93.531.
For more information about the
grants, visit www.healthcare.gov/news/factsheets/grants05132011a.html
or www.cdc.gov/communitytransformation.
 
 
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