Advocating for Chronic Disease Prevention

In communities across the nation, the Y is a leading voice on health and well-being. Over the past 15 years, the Y has driven innovation in prevention and control of chronic disease and disability to save lives and reduce health care spending. With support from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Y delivers tangible results in evidence-based health interventions. Across the country, Ys are advocating policies, strategies and programs to enable everyone to live their healthiest life. By supporting lifestyles health, building healthier community environments and advancing health policies to ensure access to programs and services, the Y is ensuring that the healthier choice is the easy choice. Ys are also working to support individuals who are challenged to achieve a healthy lifestyle due to health-related social needs, like access to healthy foods, housing, education and child care. Throughout the year, we will advance an advocacy agenda that helps our nation in: 

• Preventing Diabetes Through Evidence-Based Programming and Retention
  With 98 million Americans living with prediabetes, including half of all seniors, the YMCA’s Diabetes Prevention Program, part of CDC’s National Diabetes Prevention Program, helps adults at high risk of developing type 2 diabetes reduce their risk for developing the disease by taking steps that will improve their overall health and well-being. The Y has also led efforts to ensure access diabetes prevention programs for America’s seniors through Medicare, and established the first-ever community-based program in Medicare, the Medicare Diabetes Prevention Program (MDPP). The Y partners with the American Diabetes Association and the Diabetes Advocacy Alliance to advocate for increased funding for CDC’s diabetes prevention efforts and promotes regulatory changes to ensure increased access to the MDPP and to increase the numbers of suppliers who will participate in the program. 

• Expanding Hypertension Monitoring Programs to Reach All Americans The Y works with CDC, the American Heart Association and state and local health departments to prevent and treat risk factors for heart disease and stroke, and advocates for funding for CDC’s Heart Disease & Stroke Program, Million Hearts Program, and WISEWOMAN Program.

• Advancing Public Health Approaches to Arthritis Control and Falls Prevention
  Enhance®Fitness is helping some of the 539 million Americans living with arthritis and other physical limitations become more active, energized and empowered for independent living. This program also helps prevent falls. The Y partners with the Arthritis Foundation to advocate for funding for CDC’s Arthritis Program to help the Y and other community-based organizations continue to scale evidence-based programs. 

• Providing Physical Activity and Social Supports for Cancer Survivors
  Working together with the LIVESTRONG® Foundation, the Y advocates for increased funding for state Comprehensive Cancer Control Programs that support cancer survivor programming in states and communities.
   
• Helping Children Achieve a Healthier Weight
  The Y partners with the American Academy of Pediatrics to secure funding to further scale a family-based lifestyle health program called this the Healthy Weight and Your Child through CDC’s Division of Nutrition and Physical Activity. 
   
• Addressing Health-Related Social Needs that Prevent Vulnerable Communities from Achieving their Healthiest Life
  The Y advocates for funding ongoing efforts to reduce racial and ethnic health disparities through the CDC’s REACH program.

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