ATLANTA – The National Association of Chronic Disease Directors (NACDD) released a white paper Oct. 5 addressing the need for the progress in public health and the prevention of chronic diseases.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) health expenditures, the per capita national health expenditures were $9,523 in 2014; with total national health expenditures reaching $3 trillion that year. CDC reports that more than 86 percent of healthcare costs in the U.S. go toward the treatment of chronic diseases.

“Only a fraction of our governmental healthcare investment goes to prevention.”