3-6-17 Regular Meeting - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

LEE COUNTY Committed Today for a Better Tomorrow February 15, 2017 To: North Carolina Senator Richard Burr North Carolina Senator Thom Tillis North Carolina Representative Mark Walker From: Dr. Diane Schaller, DVM Chair, Lee County Board of Health 106 Hillcrest Drive Sanford, NC 27331 RE: Affordable Care Act Funding In recent years, federal funds which traditionally were utilized to fund state and local public health programs have been moved into the Affordable Care Act (ACA) under the heading Prevention and Public Health Funds. Prevention funding which was originally proposed as part of the ACA was either never allocated for that purpose or was only available for a short time and then eliminated. In an attempt to bolster prevention activities under the ACA, approximately $931 million dollars of traditional public health funding which existed before the ACA was enacted and moved into the ACA. These funds which had nothing to do with the enactment of the ACA have historically been and are still used to fund existing local public health prevention initiatives nationwide. Some of these initiatives in Lee County include Healthy Communities, Immunization Action Plans, and HIV/STD services. Of these federal funds, Lee County receives approximately $44,121 annually. As the local Board of Health, our primary concern is the health and well-being of our citizenry. If the Prevention and Public Health funds within the ACA are eliminated without considering the impact it will have on these important public health initiatives, the overall health of Lee County will suffer. Local public health services will be negatively impacted by the elimination of these critical infrastructure funds. In light of recent national and international concern around communicable disease outbreaks, it is imperative to continue and even increase funding of local public health programs focused on protecting the public's health, improving quality and reducing the cost of healthcare. Please consider when proposing changes to the ACA the potential negative impact that any elimination or reduction in funding will have on Lee County's public health effort to promote, protect and enhance the health and well-being of all Lee County residents. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me. Sincerely, Dr. Diane Schaller, DVM Chair, Lee County Board of Health Lee County Public Health P.O. Box 1528 - Sanford, NC 27331-1528 Phone 919-718-4640 - Fax 919-718-4632 Promoting better health and a safe environment for all Lee County residents