The AAMC March 7 signed a public health community letter to House and Senate Appropriations Committee leadership advocating for $76.95 million in funding for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Racial and Ethnic Approaches to Community Health (REACH) program in the final fiscal year (FY) 2020 Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations bill.
CDC REACH is the only community health program funded by the CDC that addresses racial and ethnic health disparities. The letter notes, “Racial and ethnic minority communities are disproportionally affected by chronic disease in America” and are more likely to be exposed to preventable diseases like diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, renal disease, and stroke.
The REACH program currently funds 31 recipients, including academic medical centers and community partners, to reduce health disparities among racial and ethnic minority populations with the highest burden of chronic disease. The funding recommendation represents a $21 million (37.5%) increase over the FY 2019 program level.