October 5, 2007

Little Rock -- Arkansas will experience a large increase in the numbers of chronic diseases in the next twenty years, according to a new study released this week by the Milken Institute. The report also estimates that if things continue as they are, Arkansas will experience a large increase in the costs for treatment, raising the cost to $42.1 billion in 2023.

The study shows that the annual economic impact of the seven most common chronic diseases in Arkansas is currently about $13.9 billion. Using data from 2003, the report estimates that together, cancers, diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure (hypertension), stroke, mental disorders, and pulmonary conditions cost the state $2.6 billion in treatment, and an additional $11.3 billion in lost workdays and lower employee productivity.

This increase in numbers and costs, however, is not inevitable, according to Dr. Namvar Zohoori, Chronic Disease Director at the Arkansas Department of Health (ADH). “It is true that the situation in Arkansas is of concern right now—for example, Arkansas has the highest stroke death rate in the nation, and ranks as one of 5 states with the highest rates of chronic diseases. But chronic diseases can be largely avoided by improving our lifestyles, such as eating a healthy diet, getting more physical activity, and not using tobacco products,” says Zohoori. “If we in Arkansas focus on prevention and on improving how well we take care of our chronic diseases, then we can greatly reduce future costs to our state.

This calls for collaboration among the communities, businesses, schools and agencies in our state, Zohoori says. “Our health and government agencies, along with our schools, employers, and places of worship, need to work together to increase the level of awareness and knowledge among all our citizens and to improve our skills for dealing with chronic diseases. This is something we must do for the economic future of our state.”

According to Dr. Jennifer Dillaha, Director of the ADH Center for Health Advancement, Arkansas has programs to reduce the rates of cancer, diabetes, arthritis, heart disease and stroke, to improve physical activity and nutrition, as well as a tobacco prevention and cessation program. “We need to do more than we have funding to do, particularly in the area of chronic diseases,” says Dr. Dillaha. “We need to find new, innovative and cost-effective ways of dealing with the problem.”

That is where partnerships come in, according to Dillaha. The Department is working with a number of partners in communities, agencies and other organizations around the state who are committed to addressing chronic disease in Arkansas. The report advocates a strong commitment to promoting health and wellness—an area in which the Department is investing a lot of resources.

The Department is also currently in the process of developing a consolidated and state-wide chronic disease state plan. “The Chronic Disease State Plan will be a tool for organizing our work with our partners around the state,” says Zohoori, “and it will help us engage all our partners at a Chronic Disease Forum to be held next Spring.”

To access the Milken Institute's Web site for “An Unhealthy America: The Economic Burden of Chronic Disease” one must go first to the Institute's main site: http://www.milkeninstitute.org/ There is a required - but free, quick and easy - registration involved in reaching the study's site. Of particular interest to those pursuing prevention cost-benefit information are the downloadable fact sheets. There is a 2-page fact sheet for the U.S. overall, plus a 102-page State-by-State fact sheet, both in PDF format.

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