DMAA Applauds Senate Leaders' Efforts
To Promote Health, Wellness

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The Disease Management Association of America (DMAA) today commends Sens. Tom Harkin and Gordon Smith for their dedicated efforts to promote health, wellness and chronic disease prevention for American workers and their families.

Through their Healthy Workforce Act of 2007, Sens. Harkin and Gordon advance a vision we share for improving health through population-based initiatives that educate and empower Americans to stay healthy, prevent disease and effectively manage existing conditions. These approaches represent our best hope for fighting a growing prevalence of chronic disease that threatens to overwhelm our nation's health care system.

We applaud the Act's recognition of the workplace as an opportunity for improving health. Employers and their workers bear a particular burden from chronic disease through reduced quality of life, lost productivity and skyrocketing health benefits costs. In the workplace, we can make a real difference in the battle against unhealthful behaviors and the conditions they breed.

Chronic disease poses a daunting, but not insurmountable, challenge to the well-being of all Americans. Through the efforts of committed national leaders, such as Sens. Harkin and Gordon, we can ensure good health prevails in the workplace and throughout our communities.

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About DMAA
The Disease Management Association of America (DMAA), a non-profit membership association, represents all stakeholders in disease management and care coordination. DMAA promotes the role of disease management in raising the quality of care, improving health outcomes and reducing health care costs for individuals with chronic conditions. DMAA has more than 200 corporate and individual members representing all aspects of disease management and care coordination—disease management organizations, health plans, pharmaceutical manufacturers and pharmacy benefit managers, employers, health information technology innovators, physicians and others. DMAA, in partnership with the National Association of Manufacturers, will host the Sept. 17 to 19, 2007, DMAA-NAM Integrated Care Summit, in Las Vegas, to highlight successful approaches to integrated health, wellness and disease management in the workplace. Learn more by visiting DMAA online at www.dmaa.org.