Background
PFCD is a national coalition of patients, providers, and community organizations, business and labor groups, and health policy experts. The approximately 1,000 members believe that rising rates of chronic health problems pose a significant and unsustainable burden on the U.S. health care system, and that the viability and strength of the system presently and in the future relies on a willingness to enact policies that help Americans better prevent and manage chronic illnesses.
Canyon Ranch Institute President Richard H. Carmona, M.D., M.P.H., FACS, serves as the national chairperson of PFCD and is active in bringing the issue of chronic disease to the forefront of the national dialogue on health care. Canyon Ranch Institute Executive Director and Board Member Jennifer Cabe, M.A., is a member of the PFCD Advisory Board.
The PFCD mission is to:
- Educate the public about chronic disease and potential solutions for individuals and communities;
- Mobilize Americans to call for change in how governments, employers, and health institutions approach chronic disease; and
- Challenge policymakers on the health policy changes that are necessary to effectively fight chronic disease.
To fulfill its objectives, PFCD offers consumers and policymakers best-in-class information and tools on effective disease prevention and management. In addition, PFCD is bringing its expertise to key communities across the country where partners lead events and forums, localized research efforts on chronic disease, health screenings, consumer education activities, and briefings with policymakers.
PFCD works to increase access to high-quality health care, including preventive care; promote health and wellness; help reduce health disparities; eliminate bureaucracy in the health system; and enhance health information and encourage innovation.
How We're Making a Difference
Canyon Ranch Institute provides thought leadership, development, and support of PFCD's policy platforms to educate individuals, communities, and policymakers about chronic disease prevention and management. This includes:
- Assisting in the development of the "Ideas for Change" policy platform which outlines the need for improvement in chronic disease prevention, detection, and management, and provides recommendations for how to address this devastating epidemic;
- Providing editorial direction and sponsorship of the PFCD Almanac to Fight Chronic Disease, a collection of statistics and commentary on the chronic disease epidemic; and
- Participating in numerous local, state, national, and international policy briefings and forums to draw policymaker attention to the chronic disease crisis.
To learn more about PFCD, visit www.fightchronicdisease.org.
¹Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The Power of Prevention: Chronic disease...the public health challenge of the 21st century. Available at: http://www.cdc.gov/chronicdisease/pdf/2009-Power-of-Prevention.pdf
²Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Costs of Chronic Diseases. Available at: http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/overview.htm
