Prevention Health & Health Services Block Grant

Background and Purpose:

In 1981, Congress established the Preventive Health and Health Services (PHHS) Block Grant to allow states the flexibility and control to address priority health concerns in their communities. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) administers the block grant and the Virginia Department of Health, Office of Family Health Services has administrative responsibility for the block grant for the Commonwealth of Virginia. States are given autonomy to tailor prevention and health promotion programs that address the national health objectives contained in Healthy People 2010, a set of health objectives for the nation to achieve over the first decade of the new century.

The Role of PHHS Block Grant Funds in Virginia:
The PHHS Block Grant currently funds various programs and projects that address a variety of priority health issues throughout the Commonwealth, including:

Cardiovascular risk reduction;
Cancer prevention and control;
Promotion of healthy eating and regular physical activity;
Tobacco use prevention;
Data collection, analysis and reporting;
Minority health promotion;
Injury prevention;
Community health promotion and organization;
Oral health and community fluoridation; and
Sexual assault prevention.

PHHS Block Grant funds are used to support statewide programs and projects within the 35 local health districts. PHHS Block Grant dollars provide supplemental support for categorical and state funding and are used when no other source of funding exists to address health concerns. Virginia has come to rely on these funds as an important source of investment for health promotion and prevention.