A blueprint for change

In his introduction to the Power of Prevention, a program and policy perspective on the federal government's Steps to a Healthier US program, Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson writes, 'I am convinced that preventing disease by promoting better health is the only smart policy choice for our future.' Further into his introduction, Thompson explains his conviction. 'As this document demonstrates, we can no longer sustain the skyrocketing health care costs that over-reliance on treatment has created,'� he states, 'nor can Americans sustain the suffering that preventable diseases cause.'� Steps to a Healthier US- envisions a healthy, strong United States- where diseases are prevented when possible, controlled when necessary, and treated when appropriate.'