On Friday, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced it will allocate $250 million to fund prevention efforts and public health infrastructure development. 

HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius believes a prevention-focused approach will lower future health care costs. “Investing in proven preventive services will help patients get the care they need early, avoiding costly and unnecessary care later," said Secretary Sebelius.

The $250 million will go to:

· Community and Clinical Prevention:  $126 million will support federal, state and community prevention initiatives; the integration of primary care services into publicly funded community-based behavioral health settings; obesity prevention and fitness; and tobacco cessation

· Public Health Infrastructure: $70 million will support state, local, and tribal public health infrastructure and build state and local capacity to prevent, detect, and respond to infectious disease outbreaks

· Research and Tracking: $31 million for data collection and analysis; to strengthen CDC’s Community Guide by supporting the Task Force on Community Preventive Services; and to improve transparency and public involvement in the Clinical Preventive Services Task Force

· Public Health Training: $23 million to expand CDC’s public health workforce programs and public health training center

Let us know what you think. Is this an effective solution for lowering health care costs?