New Jersey Leaders Join Forces to Battle Chron...(d the lack of awareness among the majori...),Health

-- 30 percent of the increase in health spending since 1987 is due to

doubling of the rate of obesity during that time;

-- Two-thirds of spending over the past 25 years is attributable to the

rise in rates of treated chronic disease;

-- Over 4.6 million cases of seven common chronic diseases -- cancer,

diabetes, heart disease, hypertension, stroke, mental disorders and

pulmonary conditions were reported in New Jersey in 2003.

-- Nationwide, 75 cents of every healthcare dollar goes to treatment of

chronic diseases.

In order to bring the issue of chronic disease to the forefront of the national dialogue on health care, the PFCD is modeling its outreach strategy and tactics after a modern-day political campaign. The co-chairs and partner organizations will launch an aggressive grassroots effort which includes voter and candidate education and media outreach.

The New Jersey Partnership has more than 25 partner organizations including health care associations and institutions, labor unions, local and regional business groups and community leaders. Additional organizations are joining the effort everyday. For more information about how you can be a part of this initiative, please call 215.766.7951 or send an email to PFCD -- NJ@comcast.net.

The Partnership to Fight Chronic Disease (PFCD) is a national bipartisan coalition of patients, providers, community organizations, business and labor groups, and health policy experts committed to raising awareness of the number one cause of death, disability, and rising health care costs in the United States: chronic disease.
The PFCD's mission is to:

-- Challenge policymakers to make the issue of chronic disease a top

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