The AMA has been selected as a partner to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in a five-year, $176 million initiative aimed at strengthening the nation’s public health infrastructure and building its workforce.
The AMA is one of 48 organizations named by the CDC’s National Center for State, Tribal, Local and Territorial Public Health Infrastructure and Workforce to participate in the National Partners Cooperative Agreement.
The cooperative is an umbrella funding mechanism that supports organizations “that work with governmental public health sectors to improve their ability to serve the public and positively impact people’s health,” says the CDC.
Since the program began in 2008, the CDC has awarded more than $2.5 billion to more than 70 public partners, the agency said. In this latest round of funding, the the AMA will receive $4.15 million.
“We know that partnerships between health care and public health are essential to protect the health of the nation,” said AMA President Bruce A. Scott, MD, a private practice otolaryngologist in Louisville, Kentucky.
“The AMA looks forward to collaborating with the CDC and other partners over the next five years to implement these projects that will help improve health outcomes for all people,” Dr. Scott added.
Pursuing public health priorities
The AMA will use the proceeds to lead new and ongoing initiatives to:
- Increase infectious-disease screenings.
- Improve blood-pressure control to prevent heart attacks and strokes.
- Help physicians navigate brain health and dementia care.
- Enhance care for people living with pain.
“Physicians share a sacred, trust-based relationship with their patients and work on the front lines every day helping patients prevent, and heal from, acute and chronic health conditions.” Dr. Scott said.
The CDC said its program partners will deliver capacity-building assistance through technical help, training, information sharing, technology transfer or materials development that enables organizations to operate in a comprehensive, responsive and effective manner.
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Building on previous work
The AMA has been collaborating with the CDC on a number of projects.
These include Project Firstline, the agency’s national training collaborative for infection prevention and control, which offers expert advice for physicians and other health professionals in a variety of settings on what they can and should be doing to boost infection prevention and control. The AMA recently hosted a town hall event with the CDC’s director to help health professionals prepare for fall and winter respiratory-virus season.
The AMA also has collaborated with the CDC to develop an educational series, “Navigating Brain Health and Dementia,” to give physicians and other health professionals essential insights into dementia screening, treatment and risk reduction—elevating knowledge and practice for improved patient care.
The AMA also worked with the CDC to develop a toolkit to help physicians and other health care professionals increase routine screenings for HIV, sexually transmitted infections, viral hepatitis and latent tuberculosis. The toolkit builds on the AMA’s work to understand key barriers and drivers for implementing routine screening in health care, sharing best practices and strategies for screening programs specific to community health centers and emergency departments. The AMA worked with community health center and emergency department sites to test the quality-improvement strategies in the toolkit.
In addition, the AMA collaborated with the CDC to develop a toolkit to help physicians deliver better care for patients with prolonged, nonspecific symptoms and concerns about Lyme disease.
“Physicians recognize that their responsibility extends beyond their individual patients and understand the great importance of protecting and promoting the health of their community and the general public,” Dr. Scott said.
The AMA is committed to improving the health of the nation by leading the charge to prevent and reduce the burden of chronic diseases, including cardiovascular disease. The AMA also has extensive policies supporting evidence-based preventive services, including screening for infectious diseases. The AMA will continue to support policies, programs and collaboration that protect public health.
