Preventive Services Task Force Community Guide

Stan and Clarence chat with three incredible leaders in public health and policy: Dr. Tom Kottke, Dr. Amy Lansky, and Dr. Alison Cuellar.

Dr. Tom Kottke is the Medical Director for Well-Being at HealthPartners and a Professor of Medicine at the University of Minnesota. With a career dedicated to cardiovascular health and preventive medicine, Dr. Kottke brings a wealth of experience in evidence-based practice and public health leadership. A member of the inaugural U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, he has contributed to federal guidelines on tobacco treatment and co-chaired the National Quality Forum’s Cardiovascular Standing Committee. Dr. Kottke earned his medical degree from the University of Minnesota and his Master of Science in Public Health from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Board-certified in internal medicine and cardiovascular disease, Dr. Kottke's work exemplifies his passion for creating healthier communities.

Dr. Amy Lansky serves as the Director of the Community Guide Program at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), where she leads efforts to deliver evidence-based public health solutions. Over her extensive career, Dr. Lansky has driven innovation in HIV prevention, surveillance, and policy, including serving as Director of the White House Office of National AIDS Policy. She holds a PhD and MPH from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a bachelor’s degree in political science from Swarthmore College. With over 80 peer-reviewed publications, Dr. Lansky is a recognized leader in advancing public health through strategic partnerships and data-driven interventions.

Dr. Alison Cuellar is a Professor of Health Administration and Policy at George Mason University and a Research Associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research. Her research spans behavioral health, criminal justice, Medicaid policy, and health system innovations, with a focus on equitable care and evidence-based improvements. Dr. Cuellar has contributed to the National Academies' efforts to promote health equity and transformation in youth care systems. With a PhD in Economics from the University of California, Berkeley, and a track record of impactful policy research, Dr. Cuellar brings critical insights to community and system-level health initiatives.

Join us as Dr. Kottke, Dr. Lansky, and Dr. Cuellar share their insights, professional journeys, and visions for advancing public health through evidence-based strategies and policy innovation.

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Brought to you in support of Hue-MAN, who is Creating Healthy Communities through Innovative Partnerships.

More about their work can be found at huemanpartnership.org.

Research: 

1. What is the Community Preventative Services Task Force?
1. Works to improve health of communities by issuing evidence based recommendations and findings on public health interventions designed to improve health and safety
2. Who we are 
1. DHHS establish CPTSF in ‘96 to develop guidance on which approaches work and which do not work based on available scientific evidence 
3. What we do
1. CPSTF provides recommendations and findings on programs, services. These recommendations and findings are based on systematic reviews of evidence of effectiveness and economic impact. 
2. CPSTF uses scientifically rigorous methodology used to conduct systematic reviews, oversee and participate in the review process, prioritize topic areas and interventions for review, and work to advance health equity throughout all of their work.
3. CPSTF prepares an annual report to Congress that summarizes their work for the fiscal year, identifies gaps in research, and recommends priority areas for further examination.
4. Why the work matters:
1. Saves money 
2. Business, military, healthcare systems, schools, public health departments, employers and other rely on this when deciding how to best use limited recourse to tackle a broad range of health challenges 
2. What is the community guide?
1. Recommendations in The Community Guide are the gold standard for what works to protect and improve population health.
2. When communities need to know how to protect and improve their population’s health, they turn to The Community Guide, a collection of evidence-based recommendations and findings from the Community Preventive Services Task Force (CPSTF). CPSTF makes evidence-based recommendations about the effectiveness and economic impact of public health programs, services, and other interventions used in real-world settings such as communities, worksites, schools, faith-based organizations, military bases, public health clinics and departments, and integrated healthcare systems.
3. Methods MAnual for the Community Guide (Link) 
1. Provides a comprehensive overview of the systemic review methods that service the CPSTF recommendations and findings. 
2. After reading the manual the reader should be able to better understand the description of the systemic review process 
3. This is intended to help decision makers be more confident in their choice of recommended interventions to adopt and implement and help researcher critically assess the findings and identify area of research to strengthen the body of evidence or fill research gaps 
4. Various Findings and Recommendations Today (With Links)
1. Fact Sheet 
1. Asthma 
2. Cancer Screening 
3. Diabetes Prevention and Control 
4. HIV, STI’s and Teen Pregnancy 
5. Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention 
6. Appropriate Vaccination 
7. Increasing Physical Activity
8. Mental Health 
9. Motor Vehicle Related Injury 
10. Nutrition 
11. Obesity Prevention and control 
12. Oral Health
13. Pregnancy Health 
14. Preventing Excessive Alcohol Consumption 
15. Skin Cancer Prevention 
16. SDOH
17. Tobacco Use 
18. Violence Prevention 
19. Worksite Health 
2. Findings for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention 

1. Findings for Physical Activity  

1. Findings Related to Community Health Workers (CHW) 
1. What is a community health worker?; What sort of themes and activities can they help with? 
2. Misc. Snapshots
1. Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention: Team bassed care to improve blood pressure control: https://www.thecommunityguide.org/findings/heart-disease-stroke-prevention-team-based-care-improve-blood-pressure-control.html 
1. team-based care to improve patients’ blood pressure. Evidence shows team-based care increases the proportion of patients with controlled blood pressure and reduces systolic (SBP) and diastolic (DBP) blood pressure. Economic evidence indicates team-based care is cost-effective.
2. Team-based care interventions typically include activities to do the following:
1. Facilitate communication and coordination of care support among various team members
2. Enhance the use of evidence-based guidelines by team members
3. Establish regular, structured follow-up mechanisms to monitor patients’ progress and schedule additional visits as needed
4. Actively engage patients in their own care by providing them with education about blood pressure (i.e., hypertension) medication, adherence support (for medication and other treatments), and tools and resources for self-management (including self-measured blood pressure monitoring and health behavior change)
2. Physical Activity: Park, Trail and Greenway Infrasctructure Interventions when combined with additional interventions: https://www.thecommunityguide.org/findings/physical-activity-park-trail-greenway-infrastructure-interventions-combined-additional-interventions.html 
1. park, trail, and greenway infrastructure interventions when combined with additional interventions to increase physical activity. Evidence from the systematic review shows these interventions increase the number of people who engage in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity in the park, trail, or greenway. Studies also show increases in the number of people who use the park, trail, or greenway.
2. Additional interventions include the following:
1. Community engagement to ensure community participation in intervention planning
2. Public awareness activities (e.g., banners, flyers, promotional campaigns, event days)
3. Programs that offer structured opportunities for physical activity and social interaction (e.g., walking groups, exercise classes, organized sports)
4. Access enhancements including transportation connections, street crossings, and expanded hours of operation
3. Substance Use: Community Interventions involving coalitions or partnerships to prevent substance use among youth: https://www.thecommunityguide.org/findings/substance-use-community-interventions-involving-coalitions-or-partnerships-to-prevent-substance-use-among-youth.html 
1. community interventions involving coalitions or partnerships to prevent substance use among youth. Most studies were conducted in rural or suburban communities. Evidence from the systematic review shows interventions reduce both initiation and use of the following:
1. Cannabis
2. Tobacco
3. Alcohol, including binge drinking
4. Illegal substances
5. Some studies also found reductions in one or more antisocial behaviors among youth.
2. Community coalitions and community partnerships 
1. Community coalitions include relevant community-based organizations, agencies, leaders, and members of the community tasked with identifying and implementing the community prevention initiative.
2. Community partnerships involve research or implementation organizations engaging with recruited community members, leaders, and organizations on the community prevention initiative.