HHS Assistant Secretary Brett Giroir: ‘Transfer the current system into a health-promoting system’

Moving prevention to the forefront of the nation’s health system was the focus of an early-morning gathering of public health leaders.

Brett Giroir, assistant secretary for health at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, gave the keynote address at this morning’s Public Health Leaders’ Breakfast, held at APHA’s 2019 Annual Meeting and Expo in Philadelphia.

Giroir told the dozens of public health leaders in attendance about the importance of moving health care from “treatment to prevention.”

“We want to transfer the current system into a health-promoting system,” he said.

At HHS, Giroir is part of an ambitious new health initiative, “Ending the HIV Epidemic: A Plan for America.” Announced in February, the federally led plan seeks to reduce new HIV infections by 75% in the next five years and by 90% in the next decade by concentrating on high-risk regions in the U.S.

Annual Meeting attendees can catch Giroir during two more speaking engagements on Monday. At 3 p.m., he’ll be at session 3332.2, "Pushing the Envelope of Public Health: A dialogue with Assistant Secretary for Health Admiral Brett Giroir.” His topics will include the federal HIV program, combatting substance abuse and overdoses, and improving the lives of people living with sickle cell disease. The assistant secretary will also speak at 5 p.m. at today’s “Monday General Session: Is an Ounce of Prevention Really Worth a Pound of Cure?,” which kicks off at 5 p.m. in the Pennsylvania Convention Center.

Photo by Jim Ezell, courtesy EZ Event Photography