Booz Allen Hamilton Recognizes National Public Health Awareness Week

Business Wirevia The Motley Fool
Updated

Booz Allen Hamilton Recognizes National Public Health Awareness Week

MCLEAN, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Booz Allen Hamilton today announced its support and promotion of National Public Health Week from April 1-7, 2013. The awareness week, organized by the American Public Health Association (APHA), highlights the importance of supporting public health systems and calls attention to the health issues affecting our nation.

The continued rise of health care costs and the burden of health issues on communities places an even greater focus on the return on investment (ROI) from supporting a strong public health system. This year's awareness week theme is "Public Health is ROI: Save Lives, Save Money" and hundreds of organizations are contributing to the conversation around advancements in public health and the future of our nation's health.


A new infographic designed by Booz Allen illustrates the impact of public health and advancements and potential of future investments. The infographic tells the story of the economic and social impact of chronic disease and the ROI from investing in public health:

  • Chronic diseases cause seven in 10 deaths in the United States.

  • Each year, chronic diseases such as heart disease, stroke, cancer, and diabetes account for about 75% of the $2.2 trillion spent on medical care.

  • Investing just $10 per person each year in community-based public health efforts could save the nation more than $16 billion within five years.

Click to tweet: Booz Allen Infographic - Investing in Public Health

"Booz Allen is committed to supporting increased awareness of public health challenges and the solutions that can save lives and contribute to healthier communities," said Susan Penfield, Booz Allen Executive Vice President and lead for Booz Allen's health business. "We are using our capabilities in informatics, health analytics, cloud computing, and communications to support our clients' missions to improve preventive care and identify efficiencies in public health systems."

Penfield described one example where Booz Allen teamed with Mercy Hospital System to find out whether analysis of past medical records could help manage dangerous, hard-to-treat infections.

"Based on our research, Mercy instituted new medical protocols with immediate impact," Penfield said. "In the first 9 months, mortality rates for severe cases of sepsis were cut in half and mortality rates for patients with septic shock dropped by 30 percent."

Grant McLaughlin, Booz Allen Vice President, lauded the accomplishments of APHA and the public health community, adding that the national public health dialogue provides an opportunity to increase adherence to preventive care and wellness guidelines.

"We have seen great advancements in public health issues, such as diabetes, smoking cessation and immunizations," McLaughlin said. "By continuing public education about the benefits of prevention, especially in the context of the rising costs of medical treatments and declining budgets, we can reduce the burden of health care costs while improving the quality of life for all Americans."

Penfield said Booz Allen is proud to partner with government, not-for-profit and commercial health organizations to plan, develop and implement public health initiatives that create measurable impact.

"Whether it is training community leaders to foster health-related environmental changes, improving the storage and distribution of vaccines, providing better access to information through digital technologies, or providing training and technical assistance to develop health information exchanges, we are excited to be a part of the public health community," she said.

About Booz Allen Hamilton

Booz Allen Hamilton is a leading provider of management and technology consulting services to the U.S. government in health, energy and environment, defense, intelligence, and civil markets, and to major corporations, institutions, and not-for-profit organizations. Booz Allen is headquartered in McLean, Virginia, employs approximately 25,000 people, and had revenue of $5.86 billion for the 12 months ended March 31, 2012.

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Carrie Lake, 703-377-7785
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