Wisconsin Ranks Low In Federal Funds For Disease Prevention

Wisconsin is near the bottom in the amount of federal dollars it receives for disease prevention programs, according to a national report. States in the Midwest and South received less funding from the federal government than Northeastern and Western states did in fiscal year 2008 for disease prevention programs, according to a report from Trust For America’s Health (TFAH) and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The report evaluated funds from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to spend on public health. Midwestern states received an average of $17.69 per person from the CDC and Southern states received $18.43, while states in the Northeast received $22.49 and states in the West received $23.94. Wisconsin ranked 43rd of the 50 states for the amount it received at $14.97 per person. Alaska received the most at $52.78 per person, while Indiana got the least at $12.74 per person. The report, titled ‘Shortchanging America’s Health: A State-By-State Look at How Federal Public Dollars are Spent,’ also looks at how the economic downturn could lead to cuts in disease prevention and emergency preparedness programs at the state level. About 75 percent of the CDC’s budget is distributed through grants or cooperative agreements to states and communities to support programs to prevent diseases and prepare for health disasters. The $787 billion federal stimulus package signed last month by President Barack Obama included $1 billion for public health programs for next year. ‘The financial crisis makes it more important than ever for the country to make prevention a top priority,’ said Dr. Risa Lavizzo-Mourey, president and chief executive officer of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the nation’s largest philanthropy devoted exclusively to improving public health.”

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