Where Are We to Be in These Times? The Place of Chronic Disease Prevention in Community Health Promotion

In guiding public health strategists to promote community health at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC’s) National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (NCCDPHP), the National Expert Panel on Community Health Promotion raised the knotty issue of the role of chronic disease prevention in community health promotion (1). The panel acknowledged the complexity of their recommendations to impact overall health — including the health of 46 million Americans who lack health insurance (2) — through multiple environments and policies. Nevertheless, panel members urged NCCDPHP and CDC to catalyze new relationships and expand its role as a standard-bearer and broker of public health practice to engage decision makers at local, state, national, and societal levels in creating healthier environments.