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AUGUST 26, 2002
To: From: Subject: Date: NECON is a not-for-profit, non-partisan organization, which was established in 1984, with
working groups and health-examining task forces representing multiple disciplines from all six New England states. Its mission is to serve as an instrument for the development and
enhancement of disease prevention and health promotion public policies in New England. In 1986, the New England Governors' Conference, Inc. charged NECON to interact with the
states' chief health officers and other policymakers throughout New England and to submit recommendations periodically for the improvement of the health status of the region. At our
past meetings, representatives of NECON have presented us with reports and recommendations on such issues as mental illness, substance abuse, and asthma.
Today we are joined by a panel of presenters who will provide us with another update on health issues of significant importance to New England. The presenters are:
Background materials on NECON and the presenters are attached for your review. At the conclusion of the NECON presentation I have requested my Chief of Staff Joseph Larisa,
to present a resolution concerning Lyme disease and other tick borne illnesses. THE NEW ENGLAND GOVERNORS' CONFERENCE, INC
We thank the New England Governors' Conference and the governors individually for this opportunity to describe briefly the contents of and processes that produced the report before you.
NECON is a coalition of the New England state health departments, the region's schools of public health, Region I of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, as well as
medical societies, insurers, legislators, and representatives from industry, labor and voluntary associations––always with a focus on health concerns and with emphasis on preventive strategies.
Although currently there are disturbing trends that threaten the nation's health, New England remains the healthiest region in the United States. There are, of course, demographic,
economic, and institutional reasons for this. And, New England has always led the nation in public health expertise, research, and premier health care institutions. However, we believe
that this ranking can also be attributed to unique-in-the-nation regional crossborder sharing of experiences and expertise among the six states.
That collaboration was inspired and energized by your Resolutions #51 and #68. The resolutions charged NECON to interact with a broad spectrum of health policymakers and
advocates throughout New England and to submit recommendations periodically for the improvement of the health status of the region.
Despite New England's high ranking, there are still too many vulnerable uninsured and underinsured, disparities abound, and although the region's premier institutions attract
enormous funding for health and health care research, there remains disconnect among discovery, health policies, and community practice.
One of the trends that I referred to is the troubling combination of rising medical costs with stagnant incomes that results in healthcare's ever-increasing share of personal and
governmental budgets––currently at the highest levels in at least a decade. This, of course, is a challenge that you discussed at the National Governors' Association conference in July and
the governors fully recognize that this dilemma is predicted to continue, and perhaps intensify in the near future.
The other trend––an epidemic of obesity––is most alarming because it impacts on these rising costs as well as on the health of the people. Obesity is a root cause of heart disease, stroke,
some cancers, and an ever increasing pandemic of diabetes. According to a recent Rand Corporation report, obesity is associated with a 36 percent increase in inpatient and outpatient
spending and a 77 percent increase in medications. Obesity has the same association with chronic health conditions as does twenty years of aging. In children the prevalence of obesity
, not just overweight, has more than doubled since the 1960's and the prevalence in adults rose more than 50 percent in just the last decade.
On the positive side, obesity is preventable. We are pleased to report to the governors that NECON has received funding from both Abbott Laboratories and the National Institutes of
Health's Division of Nutrition Research to create a Regional Prevention and Control of Obesity Task Force/Working Group. This group, under Dr. Walter Willett, Chair of the Department of
Nutrition at the Harvard School of Public Health, is comprised of over 90 professionals and advocates from New England's public, private, and voluntary sectors. The task force is well
into its work and will present a Strategic Plan for increasing the proportion of each state's population that consumes a nutritionally appropriate diet and is engaged in daily physical
activity to the New England Governors' Conference in 2003. With me today are two panelists who will very briefly describe our health promotion and
disease prevention initiatives in two other areas of enduring concern to NECON. Ms. Laurie Robinson is the Women's Health Coordinator in Region I for the Office on Women's
Health within the Department of Health and Human Services, the government's champion and focal point for women's health issues. Her role is to coordinate and promote a more
comprehensive focus on women's health at the regional, state and local levels. In this capacity she currently chairs both the Region I Women's Health Workgroup and the NECON Task Force on Women's Health.
Following Ms. Robinson, Project Director Durrell J. Fox of the New England HIV Education Consortium will give a brief overview of the changing demography in the HIV/AIDS challenge
and the rise of the Hepatitis-C co-infection epidemic. After these brief presentations the panel will be available to answer questions from the
governors. We thank you for your concern about these important issues and for the opportunity to make these presentations. To: From: Date: Dear Bert: I thank you once again for your participation at the meeting of the New England Governors'
Conference, Inc. in Québec City on August 26, 2002. Your informative update on health issues of significant importance to New England was
appreciated. The NEGC will continue to look forward to your reports and recommendations on health issues for the region. Again thank you, and if I can be of help to you at any time, please give me a call. Sincerely,
Charles C. Tretter
HEALTH CARE ISSUES DISCUSSED AT AUGUST NEGC MEETING A meeting of the New England Governors' Conference, Inc. was held August 26, 2002 in
Quebec City during the NEG/ECP Annual Conference. Governor Lincoln Almond of Rhode Island chaired the discussions, which focused on health issues. A summary follows. HEALTH UPDATE |
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