This post ’s designed to ask NIH to devote more stimulus money to prevention work in communities, in line the President’s vision. Visit the sight and sign on to their petition.

As members of the prevention science community, we are concerned about the research priorities of the National Institutes of Health as indicated by its plans for spending the $10 billion in stimulus funds allocated under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.

President Obama has clearly articulated an agenda for bringing about change in our communities through evidence-based programs and comprehensive efforts to address the risk factors that put people at risk for multiple problems. Yet the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 and NIH funding of research that would advance these priorities is extremely limited.

Biological and behavioral research has brought us to the point where it is possible to substantially improve human wellbeing in most American communities.1 Nevertheless, actual wellbeing—especially in impoverished communities—lags far behind what the evidence shows could occur. Prevention science can help us reach that goal.

via The Economic Stimulus and Prevention « Nurturing Environments.

AFP: France is healthcare leader, US comes dead last: study

WASHINGTON (AFP) — France is tops, and the United States dead last, in providing timely and effective healthcare to its citizens, according to a survey Tuesday of preventable deaths in 19 industrialized countries.

The study by the Commonwealth Fund and published in the January/February issue of the journal Health Affairs measured developed countries’ effectiveness at providing timely and effective healthcare.

The study, entitled “Measuring the Health of Nations: Updating an Earlier Analysis,” was written by researchers from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. It looked at death rates in subjects younger than 75 that could have been prevented by timely and effective medical care.

The researchers found that while most countries surveyed saw preventable deaths decline by an average of 16 percent, the United States saw only a four percent dip.