Coalition Applauds AHA Report Highlighting Impact of Chronic Disease on Nation's Workforce
Link between national wellness and business deserves attention from presidential candidates
WASHINGTON, D.C. (Oct. 10, 2007) - The Partnership to Fight Chronic Disease (PFCD) today commended the American Hospital Association (AHA) for its Oct. 9th study quantifying the burden of chronic disease on working America.
"With this study, the AHA has bridged two important crises facing America in the 21st Century: rising rates of chronic disease and the declining productivity of our nation's workforce," said PFCD Executive Director Ken Thorpe. "These findings underscore the powerful relationship between national wellness and productivity in the workplace. The PFCD urges presidential hopefuls to make fighting chronic disease the cornerstone of their health care plans, because, as the AHA study shows, the health of America's businesses depends largely on the health of her work force."
The AHA study found that asthma, diabetes and hypertension cause working Americans to miss an estimated 164 million work days each year at a cost of $30 billion to employers. A copy of the study with the complete methodology can be found at www.aha.org.
A study released by the Milken Institute on Oct. 2 calculated the annual economic impact on the U.S. economy of the most common chronic diseases to be more than $1 trillion. Economists from the Milken Institute project that this figure could balloon to nearly $6 trillion by the middle of the century. The full report is available at www.milkeninstitute.org and www.fightchronicdisease.org.
About the Partnership to Fight Chronic Disease:
The Partnership to Fight Chronic Disease (PFCD) is a national coalition of patients, providers, community organizations, business and labor groups, and health policy experts committed to raising awareness of the number one cause of death, disability, and rising health care costs in the U.S.: chronic disease.
The PFCD's mission is to:
- Challenge policymakers - in particular, the 2008 presidential candidates - to make the issue of chronic disease a top priority and articulate how they will address the issue through their health care proposals
- Educate the public about chronic disease and potential solutions for individuals, communities, and the nation
- Mobilize Americans to call for change in how policymakers, governments, employers, health institutions, and other entities approach chronic disease
Leaders in the effort represent more than 80 leading organizations from across health care, business and labor including Aetna, American Academy of Family Physicians, Alliance for Aging Research, American Academy of Physician Assistants, American College of Nurse Practitioners, American College of Preventive Medicine, American Hospital Association, American Pharmacists Association Foundation, Disease Management Association of America, Kerr Drug, Integrated Benefits Institute, International Health, Racquet & Sportsclub Association, NAACP, Milken Institute, National Association of Manufacturers, National Medical Association, Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, Service Employees International Union, Sheet Metal Workers International Association, U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and YMCA of the USA, among others.
For more information about the PFCD and its partner organizations, please visit: http://www.fightchronicdisease.org.
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