Trust for America's Health

Trust for America's Health
Name	Trust for America's Health
Type	Nonprofit organization
Founded	2000
Headquarters	Washington, D.C.
Key people	Julie Morita (President, former)
Focus	Public health policy, preparedness

Contents

Trust for America's Health is a nonprofit public health advocacy organization founded in 2000 that works on preparedness, prevention, and policy for the United States. The organization engages with federal agencies such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, state bodies including the California Department of Public Health and the New York State Department of Health, and national stakeholders like the American Public Health Association, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and the Kaiser Family Foundation to advance public health objectives.

History

The organization was established in 2000 amid debates in the United States Congress over bioterrorism funding, interacting with committees such as the United States Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions and the United States House Committee on Energy and Commerce. Early activity coincided with events such as the 2001 anthrax attacks and policy responses from the Department of Health and Human Services and the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Over time the group worked alongside leaders from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, state health departments like the Texas Department of State Health Services, and advocacy groups including Public Health England counterparts and the World Health Organization on cross-cutting preparedness initiatives.

Its stated mission centers on preparedness and prevention, aligning programmatically with initiatives from the National Institutes of Health, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, and community partners such as the Community Preventive Services Task Force and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Programs include vaccine preparedness collaborations with manufacturers tied to Pfizer, Moderna, and supply chain entities, coordination efforts resembling work by the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, and state-level grants similar to those administered by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The organization also runs programs to support maternal and child health alongside stakeholders like the March of Dimes and the American Academy of Pediatrics.

The group produces annual and special reports that parallel analyses by the Institute of Medicine and the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, publishing assessments of state preparedness similar in scope to analyses by the Kaiser Family Foundation and the Urban Institute. Notable reports have been cited in hearings of the United States Senate Select Committee on Intelligence and briefings in the White House and have informed rulemaking at the Food and Drug Administration. Their publications often synthesize data from sources including the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, the National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System, and state-level dashboards maintained by entities like the California Health and Human Services Agency.

Advocacy work places the organization among policy networks that include the American Medical Association, the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials, and the National Governors Association. It has partnered on initiatives with philanthropic institutions such as the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and corporate partners in the pharmaceutical sector, and has engaged with legislative processes involving the Public Health Service Act and appropriations by the United States Congress. Collaborations also extend to academic centers like the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, and think tanks such as the Brookings Institution.

Funding has combined philanthropic grants from organizations like the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and program support from health foundations such as the Kresge Foundation and corporate contributions comparable to those disclosed by public health nonprofits working with Pfizer and Moderna. Governance structures reflect boards and advisory committees drawing leaders from institutions including the American Public Health Association, university faculties from the University of Michigan School of Public Health, and former officials from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Department of Health and Human Services. Financial reporting aligns with practices used by nonprofits filing with the Internal Revenue Service under 501(c)(3) status.

The organization's analyses have influenced policy debates on preparedness funding, vaccine distribution, and public health infrastructure cited by governors in states such as New York (state), California, and Texas (state), and referenced by federal actors in the Department of Homeland Security and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Critics from media outlets like The New York Times and policy researchers at institutions such as the Cato Institute and the Manhattan Institute have questioned aspects of methodology, transparency, and potential conflicts of interest, while public health scholars from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health have assessed the organization's contributions to preparedness metrics and equity-focused programming.