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Public Health System Policy Resource Center - Home

Risky Maternal Procedures Common in the United States

Many major medical procedures such as induction of labor, use of drugs to speed labor, and cesarean delivery are overused in women giving birth in the United States. Many pregnant women feel pressured to undergo such risky procedures by their healthcare providers.
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It's National Women’s Checkup Day

A part of National Women's Health Week, today is National Women’s Checkup Day!

• Learn what screening and immunizations you need and at what age to get them

• Review 22 preventive services for women covered under the Affordable Care Act

• Take the Checkup Day Pledge and pledging to schedule at least one preventive health screening during May 2013

May is National Stroke Awareness Month!

Currently strokes are the 4th cause of death and leading cause of disability. Annual stroke costs are more than a billion dollars a week for the nation. Learning the signs of a stroke can enable you to help someone having a stroke get the help they need.
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Food Poisoning from Raw Milk and Chicken on the Rise

Cases of campylobacter, a bacteria in raw milk and poultry that causes food poisoning, increased by 14 percent over the last five years. Children, pregnant women, and people with compromised immune systems are at high risk of complications from campylobacter infections.

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Public Health Spending Drops

Investment in public health has decreased overall, though the amount of money spent of public health varies greatly from state to state. Hawaii spent the most funds and Nevada spent the least. Additionally the amount of federal funding per person varies. Alaska receives the most while Indiana receives the least.
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Facts & Statistics

• According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) State Indicator Report on Physical Activity: 2010 Behavioral Indicators, only 64.5% of adults and 17.1% of children in grades 9 through 12 are physically active.

• Tobacco use is responsible for one in five deaths in the U.S. (about 443,000 deaths each year. Approximately 49,000 of these deaths result from secondhand smoke exposure.

• Cancer in the U.S. kills more than half a million people each year.

• The CDC estimates that there are 19 million new sexually transmitted infections every year in the U.S.

• More than 616,000 people die of heart disease in the U.S. each year – amounting to about 25% of total U.S. deaths. In addition, heart disease is a leading cause of disability in the U.S.

• Infectious diseases have caused approximately 170,000 annual deaths in the U.S. since 2000.

• Influenza kills around 30,000 Americans annually, and epidemiologists agree that it is not a question of whether, but when, the next killer pandemic will occur.

Public Health System Policy Resource Center - Home

Facts & Statistics

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