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Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Preventive Health and Health Services
(PHHS) block grant?
The Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1981 (Public Law 97-35)
authorized a series of health and social services block grants to states
to carry out programs that were previously authorized separately. The
final version was signed into law on August 13, 1981, amending the PHS Act
to create the PHHS Block Grant. The PHHS Block Grant is a mandatory grant
given to 61 grantees (50 states, the District of Columbia, 2 American
Indian Tribes, and the eight U.S. Territories) by Congress annually.
The original legislation placed in the PHHS Block Grant the following
categorical programs:
- Emergency Medical Services
- Hypertension
- Home Health Services
- Health Incentive Grants (314d)
- Urban Rodent Control
- Health Education/Risk Reduction
- Fluoridation
The PHHS Block Grant consolidated funds from these programs into a
proportional formula based grant. With the exception of allotments for
services for rape victims which is a population based formula, each
grantees proportion of PHHS block grant funds is equal to the percentage
of funds received by the grantee during Fiscal Year (FY) 1981 under the
former categorical program.
On October 27, 1992, (Public Law 102-531), established a number of
significant changes to Section 1905 of the PHHS block grant. The new
legislation mandated that the PHHSBG be solely devoted to Healthy People
2000/2010, the nation's health objectives. The grant required the states
to submit a state health plan with selected health outcome objectives,
descriptions of the health problems, identified target and disparate
populations, and activities to be addressed.
During FY 1996, Public Law 102-531, was amended by adding a new Section
1910A use of allotments for rape prevention and education. This amendment
authorized additional monies for rape prevention and education programs
with twenty-five percent of the monies targeted to middle, junior, and
high school students for education programs.
On October 28, 2000, Public Law 102-531 was amended by repealing
Section 1910A from the PHHS block grant. This amendment became Public Law
106-386 and authorized monies for rape prevention and education programs
to be administered through the National Center for Injury Prevention and
Control.
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How is the PHHS block grant used by the states and
territories?
The Block Grant is the primary source of flexible funding that provides
states the latitude to fund any of 265 national health objectives
available in the nation's Healthy People 2010 health improvement plan. The
PHHS block grant is used to support clinical services, preventive
screening, laboratory support, outbreak control, workforce training,
public education, data surveillance, and program evaluation targeting such
health problems as cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes, emergency
medical services, injury and violence prevention, infectious disease,
environmental health, community fluoridation, and sex offenses. Because of
the variance in the allowable uses of the funds, no two states allocate
their block grant resources in the same way, and no two states provide
similar amounts of funding to the same program or activities. A strong
emphasis is being placed on adolescents, communities with little or poor
health care services, and disadvantaged populations. The states depend on
the block grant to support public health funding where no other adequate
resources are available.
States invest their PHHS block grant dollars in a variety of public
health areas. PHHS block grant dollars are used to support existing
programs, implement new programs, and respond to unexpected emergencies.
The PHHS block grant contributes to the following activities:
- Developing performance standards for local boards of health to
establish consistent rules for governing the practice and performance
of local health departments.
- Developing and implementing seven teaching modules called the Core
Essentials of Public Health: Applications for Public Health Nursing
in Minnesota.
- An educational campaign for dengue fever in Hawaii.
- Enhancing laboratory surveillance technologies to provide the rapid
identification of causative agents in New York.
- Supporting approximately 32 states to create intervention strategies
to improve individual lifestyle behaviors regarding nutrition,
physical activity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease.
- Providing support for communities to develop and review health
assessments.
- Supporting the review and evaluation of BRFSS data within states to
monitor health status and develop health media campaigns to increase
awareness for healthier living.
- Providing support to Governor's councils on Physical Fitness and
Sports campaigns and health events.
- Implementing walking trails and walking programs.
- Establishing data and surveillance systems to monitor health status
and track the leading health indicators.
- Providing child safety seats and inspections at check sites for
proper installation.
- Providing bicycle helmets.
- Training emergency medical service providers.
- Providing funding support for screening services to people for
hypertension, cholesterol, diabetes, cancers, and infectious diseases
for underserved and uninsured populations.
- Fluoridating of community water systems.
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Page last reviewed: October 31, 2008
Page last modified: October 31 2008
Content source: National Center for
Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion |
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