ASTHO at 75: Celebrating the Past and Preparing for the Future

Fraser, Michael R.; Hardy, George

ASTHO has grown through the continued engagement of its members and funding partners, especially federal agencies such as the CDC and HRSA. As discussions over the federal budget and deficit spending continue in Washington, District of Columbia, many public health leaders believe that overall federal public health funding will be cut by Congress in future federal budgets, having a profound impact on the work of state and territorial health agencies as well as ASTHO. Future work at ASTHO to "make the case" for sustained investment in public health and defend against potential cuts builds on past efforts to illustrate the impact of funding reductions to public health. A new area of work at ASTHO is activity to demonstrate the return on investment of many public health programs administered by ASTHO members. ASTHO's ability to lead in public health advocacy and policy will be even more critical in the years to come as efforts to prevent disease and promote health continue to increase and government funding for public health is potentially reduced. Current debates over the ACA have pushed prevention and public health into the limelight, as there is growing recognition that health insurance coverage alone is insufficient to create good health. State and territorial health agencies will continue to face challenges in ensuring access to care and prevention of those things that lead people to seek care in the first place. The role of public health in injury prevention, chronic disease prevention, communicable disease control, and environmental health is as important as ever. ASTHO's work to support "health care transformation" in a brave new world of health care transformation and cost containment is an area of great opportunity in the future. Much of the future work in public health will involve alignment, coordination, collaboration, and integration with the "nonhealth" sector, including housing agencies, transportation, economic development, and education.