Fw: Health-Track Update

[Guest guest]

----- Original Message -----

From: " Health-Track " <info@...>

<info@...>

Sent: Wednesday, July 11, 2001 5:12 PM

Subject: Health-Track Update

: Dear Friend:

:

: Yesterday the Trust for America's Health released it's report, Short of

Breath:

: Our Lack of Response to the Growing Asthma Epidemic and the Need for

Nationwide

: Tracking. The report states that despite the increasing number of asthma

cases,

: 12 of the 20 states with the highest air pollution fail to track asthma at

state

: and community levels. You can link to the full report at:

:

: http://health-track.org/reports/asthma/

:

: Also, below are links to articles on the report from USA Today and the

Fort

: Worth Star-Telegram:

:

: http://www.usatoday.com/news/healthscience/health/2001-07-10-asthma.htm

:

http://web.star-telegram.com/content/fortworth/2001/07/10/state/fw010402-071

0-XB001-asthma.htm

:

: Thank you for you continued interest in Health-Track.

:

: Sincerely,

: O'Hara

: Executive Director

:

[Guest guest]

: Health-Track Update

: Your health. Your community. Your right to know.

: September 2001

:

: We appreciate your continued support of our efforts to raise awareness

about the

: need for a nationwide health tracking network. Members of Congress,

: Administration officials, the media and citizens in communities throughout

the

: U.S. have begun to understand the importance of this issue. We look

forward to

: continuing to raise awareness about this important issue and working in

: collaboration with you.

:

: Health Tracking Saves Lives and Money

: A report by the Public Health Foundation has found that for each dollar

invested

: by the federal government in the nationwide health tracking network and

related

: public

: health responses, the federal government alone would receive a return of

$1.44

: in reduced federal health care costs.

:

: Environment-related interventions have costs and benefits to government.

In many

: instances, as discussed throughout this report commissioned by

Health-Track, the

: benefits outweigh the costs. An expenditure of $275 million for nationwide

: health tracking - about $1 for every American each year - along with

development

: of programs and policies building on the information the network

generates,

: would return to the federal government alone a savings in health care

costs of

: more than $500 million annually. In particular, health tracking would

lead to

: many reductions in illness, death, and medical costs. With information,

: interventions can be shaped to meet the needs of the population and be as

: effective and efficient as possible.

:

: With the advent of nationwide health tracking, poor health outcomes can be

: averted. The following numbers represent annual preventable disease,

disability,

: and death attributable to environmental factors according to the Public

Health

: Foundation analysis.

:

: * 3,400 Major congenital malformations among newborns*

: * 24,000 Spontaneous abortions*

: * 80,500 Deaths**

: * 136,000 Low weight births*

: * 1,122,000 Asthma attacks among children***

: * 11,946,000 Asthma attacks among adults***

:

: * In addition to the number of births and population attributable risk

(PAR),

: estimates are based on the prevalence of spontaneous abortions, low weight

: births, and congenital malformations (Marcus et al., 1993).

: ** Based on Health United States 1996-97 and Injury Chartbook (NCHS,

1997).

: *** Based on incidence of asthma (Kunzli et al., 2000).

:

: To read a copy of the report, please go to Health-Track's web site:

: http://health-track.org/reports/phf0809/

:

: California Passes State Health Tracking Legislation

: The California Assembly passed legislation (SB 702) in early September

that

: would establish state health tracking to track chronic diseases like

asthma,

: Parkinson's Disease and cancer, as well as their links to environmental

hazards.

: The California Senate had previously approved the legislation.

:

: The legislation requires the California Department of Health Services, in

: consultation with the Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment, to

: establish a working group of technical experts to develop a tiered

approach to

: an environmental health tracking system and identify possible funding

sources.

: The bill's sponsor, CA Senator Martha Escutia stated, " The creation of an

SB 702

: environmental health surveillance system could provide us with solid,

reliable

: information and answers to (1) when and where these diseases occur, (2)

what

: environmental hazards are involved, and (3) what the actual exposure of

: Californians are to these hazards. Californians have a right to know when

: chronic diseases, including birth defects, are linked to their

environment. "

:

: The need for health tracking was underscored by Health-Track's recent

release of

: a case study that found the number of asthma sufferers in the Bayview

Hunters

: Point area of San Francisco, a low-income urban neighborhood of

predominately

: African-Americans, is almost double the national rate. According to the

study, a

: recent survey found a full 10 percent of the area's residents reported

having

: asthma. For children, the rate was reported at more than 15 percent.

:

: The case study showed that from 1991-1994, the asthma hospitalization rate

for

: children in Bayview Hunters Point (ages 0-14) was 781 per 100,000,

compared to

: 355 per 100,000 for San Francisco residents ages 15 and older.

:

: A full copy of the study, " Asthma in Bayview Hunters Point, " can be found

at:

: http://health-track.org/reports/ca0910/

:

: CDC Calls Health Tracking a " High Priority "

: The Pew Environmental Health Commission, a blue-ribbon panel at s

Hopkins

: Bloomberg School of Public Health, has recommended the United States put

in

: place a nationwide health tracking network to provide public health

officials

: and communities with information about where and when chronic diseases

occur and

: their potential links to environmental factors. Based on the Commission's

: recommendations, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

released

: in August 2001 its plan for developing and implementing a health tracking

: network. CDC's plan outlines the need for such a network and calls health

: tracking a " high priority. "

:

: Congressional Support for Health Tracking Builds

: On August 2, members of the U.S. House of Representatives circulated a

" Dear

: Colleague " letter to their colleagues in the House asking them to support

the

: Health and Environment Assessment, Rapid Response and Tracking Act (the

HEARRT

: Act) to respond to the urgent need to track and respond to possible links

: between environmental factors and chronic disease. The legislation is

expected

: to be introduced in October.

:

: Health-Track Advisor Speaks at Commonwealth Club

: Dr. , a scientific advisor to Health-Track, addressed the

: Commonwealth Club of California, the nation's oldest and largest public

affairs

: forum in San Francisco, on September 12. Dr. spoke about how

nationwide

: health tracking would provide health professionals with the information

they

: need to protect our families and communities from the number one cause of

death

: in America - chronic disease. Dr. is a Senior Scientist at Natural

: Resources Defense Council, and an Assistant Clinical Professor of Medicine

at

: UCSF. Link to her speech on Health-Track's home page under " Features " :

: http://health-track.org/

:

: More Than 80 Groups Sign Health-Track Ad

: The groups listed below signed on to Health-Track's most recent ad.

: *American Lung Association of San Diego and Imperial Counties

: *Arthritis Foundation, San Diego Area Chapter

: *Children's Physician Medical Group

: *Comprehensive Health Center

: *Graduate School of Public Health, San Diego State University

: *Indian Health Council, Inc.

: *San Diego Allies Against Asthma

: *United Cerebral Palsy Association of San Diego County

: *American Lung Association of Gulfcoast Florida

: *Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, Florida Chapter

: *Center for Florida's Children

: *Florida Consumer Action Network

: *Florida Public Interest Research Group

: *Health Council of West Central Florida, Inc.

: *League of Conservation Voters Education Fund

: *Legal Environmental Assistance Foundation

: *Suncoast Health Council, Inc.

: *Center for Public Health Practice, University of Iowa

: *Iowa Environmental Council

: *Iowa Environmental Health Association

: *Iowa Public Interest Research Group

: *Iowa Physician Assistant Society

: *Primary Health Care, Inc. - Des Moines

: *American Lung Association of Metropolitan Chicago

: *Citizen Action/ Illinois

: *Delta Institute

: *Illinois Catholic Health Association

: *Illinois Environmental Council

: *Illinois PIRG Education Fund

: *Physicians for Social Responsibility/ Chicago

: *Safer Pest Control Project

: *Sierra Club, Illinois Chapter

: *American Cancer Society in Louisiana

: *American Heart Association, Southeast Affiliate

: *Community and Residential Services Association

: *Louisiana Environmental Action Network

: *Louisiana Maternal and Child Health Coalition

: *Louisiana Physical Therapy Association

: *Louisiana Primary Care Association

: *Louisiana Society for Respiratory Care

: *March of Dimes, Louisiana Chapter

: *U.S. Public Interest Research Group

: *Woman's Hospital/ Woman's Health Foundation

: * Henry Community Health Services Center, Inc.

: *American Lung Association of Mississippi

: *Glendora Clinic

: *Mississippi Health Advocacy Program

: *Mississippi Health Partners, Inc.

: *Mississippi State Medical Association

: *Tutwiler Clinic, Inc.

: *American Lung Association of Nevada

: *American Lung Association of Ohio

: *Asian Services in Action, Inc.

: *Child Policy Research Center at the Cincinnati Children's Hospital

Medical

: Center

: *Columbus Health Department

: *Earth Day Coalition

: *Federation for Community Planning

: *lin County Health Department

: *Holmes County Health Department

: *Ohio Hospital Association

: *Ohio Public Interest Research Group

: *Urban Business Alliance

: *American Lung Association of Pennsylvania

: *Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America

: *Citizens for Pennsylvania's Future

: *Pennsylvania Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics

: *Pennsylvania Public Health Association

: *Pennsylvania Public Interest Research Group

: *Pennsylvania School Reform Network

: *The Education Law Center - PA

: *American Lung Association of Washington

: *Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America - Washington Chapter

: *Environmental Health and Social Policy Center

: *Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies Coalition of Washington State

: *Heart of America Northwest

: *The Institute for Children's Environmental Health

: *Washington Toxics Coalition

: *WashPIRG

: *Citizens for a Better Environment

: *Madison Department of Public Health

: *Northern Wisconsin Area Health Education Center, Inc.

: *WISPIRG

:

: Health-Track

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