N•O•T•E•W•O•R•T•H•Y
Communities, TFAH finds that an investment of $10 per
person per year in proven community-based programs to
increase physical activity, improve nutrition, and prevent
smoking and other tobacco use could save the country
more than $16 billion annually within five years. This is
a return of $5.60 for every $1.
Out of the $16 billion, Medicare could save more than
$5 billion, Medicaid could save more than $1.9 billion
and private payers could save more than $9 billion.
The economic findings are based on a model developed by researchers at the Urban Institute and a review
of evidence-based studies conducted by the New York
Academy of Medicine. They found that many effective
prevention programs cost less than $10 per person, and
that these programs have delivered results in lowering
rates of diseases that are related to physical activity, nutrition and smoking. The evidence shows that implementing these programs in communities reduce rates of
type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure by five percent
within two years; reduce heart disease, kidney disease
and stroke by five percent within five years; and reduce
some forms of cancer, arthritis and chronic obstructive
pulmonary disease by 2.5% within 10 to 20 years.
Prevention for a Healthier America was developed
through a partnership of TFAH, The New York Academy
of Medicine, The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation,
The California Endowment and the Prevention Institute.
The report was supported by grants from the Robert
Wood Johnson Foundation and The California
Endowment. The full report is available on
www.healthyamericans.org.
Hospital Honor Roll
U.S. News recently analyzed data on 5,453 medical
centers to produce this year’s 16 specialty rankings. Only
170 hospitals were ranked in one or more specialties
and, of those, just 19 were of Honor Roll caliber. To be
in this elite group, which rewards breadth of excellence, a
hospital had to achieve high scores in six or more specialties. The order is based on points—a hospital earned
two points for ranking at or close to the top in a specialty, one point if ranked slightly lower.
1. Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore– 30 points in 15
specialties
2. Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN– 28 points in 15 specialties
3. Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, Los Angeles–
25 points in 14 specialties
4. Cleveland Clinic– 25 points in 13 specialties
5. Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston– 24 points
in 12 specialties
6. New York Presbyterian Univ. Hosp. of Columbia and
Cornell– 22 points in 12 specialties
Continued from page 61
7. University of California, San Francisco Medical
Center– 21 points in 11 specialties
8. Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston– 18 points
in 11 specialties
9. Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC - 18
points in 11 specialties
10. Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania,
Philadelphia– 18 points in 10 specialties
11. University of Washington Medical Center, Seattle -
18 points in 10 specialties
12. Barnes-Jewish Hospital/Washington University, St.
Louis– 17 points in 11 specialties 13. University of
Michigan Hospitals and Health Centers, Ann Arbor
– 14 points in 9 specialties
14. University of Pittsburgh Medical Center– 13 points
in 8 specialties
15. Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville - 12
points in 7 specialties
16. Stanford Hospital and Clinics, Stanford, CA - 10
points in 7 specialties
17. University of Chicago Medical Center - 9 points in 8
specialties
18. Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles - 8 points
in 7 specialties
19. Yale-New Haven Hospital, New Haven, CT - 8 points
in 6 specialties ■
Where in the World is HIU?
Rod Santa Cruz and Tanya Stewart recently visited
Portugal. Here they are in the southern part of the
country in an area along the coast called The Algarve.
