Delta Dental of Michigan, Ohio, Indiana and Tennessee (Delta Dental) recently joined the Partnership to Fight Chronic Disease (PFCD), a nonpartisan coalition of leaders from the health care, business, policy and labor communities committed to making chronic disease the key health care issue in the 2008 presidential election. In addition, Dr. Jed Jacobson, senior vice president and chief science officer for Delta Dental, has been appointed to the PFCD advisory board.
"I am honored to join the PFCD advisory board and look forward to promoting the fight against chronic disease and sharing the important connection between oral health and overall health," said Jacobson. "Delta Dental is a leader in evidence-based dentistry and strives to improve the health of those in the communities we serve, which is why we have joined the Partnership."
Delta Dental joins more than 80 partner organizations in the fight against chronic disease. The PFCD is working to raise awareness of chronic disease nationwide, with a particular focus on the key primary states of Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina. The partnership is led by former U.S. Surgeon General Richard H. Carmona, M.D. and Ken Thorpe, PhD, chair of the Rollins School of Public Health at Emory University and a former White House health policy advisor.
"The addition of Delta Dental strengthens the PFCD in the fight against chronic disease," said Thorpe, executive director of the PFCD. "We look forward to tapping Delta Dental and Dr. Jacobson's vast knowledge and substantial resources in making chronic disease the key health care issue in the 2008 presidential election."
Chronic diseases are responsible for seven out of every 10 deaths in the U.S. – causing more than 1.7 million American deaths every year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Chronic diseases are also the primary driver of health care costs, accounting for more than 75 percent of the $2 trillion dollars spent each year on health care in the U.S
Source: www.deltadental.com
