Dr. Tom Frieden to Lead New Global Health Initiative, Backed by $225 Million in Funding from Bloomberg Philanthropies, the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation - Seite 2

"Dr. Frieden has dedicated his career to improving health and fighting disease in communities around the globe," said Dr. Priscilla Chan, pediatrician and co-founder of the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative. "His leadership in response to several global health crises, including the Ebola epidemic, was critical to preventing the further spread of those diseases. Under Tom Frieden's direction, the Resolve initiative will help give countries the tools they need to quickly identify and respond to new health threats. To ensure that millions of people around the world have access to equal opportunity, we need to tackle the threat of epidemics — that's what Resolve aims to do, and it's why we're supporting this effort."

"While our foundation typically focuses on infectious diseases because they disproportionately affect the world's poorest, we are increasingly concerned about the growing rate of cardiovascular disease in low- and middle-income countries," said Bill Gates, co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. "That's why we are joining forces with the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative and Bloomberg Philanthropies to support the work of Dr. Frieden and his team to tackle these twin threats to public health."

José Luis Castro, President and Chief Executive Officer, Vital Strategies, commented: "We are honored that this new initiative is being housed in Vital Strategies. Resolve's mission is a perfect fit with our expertise of building and strategically utilizing public health intelligence, mounting strategic communication programs to shape the public health agenda and change behavior, and strengthening critical public health systems. We look forward to working closely with Dr. Frieden in the years ahead to save millions of people from preventable disease, disability and premature death."

The Resolve initiative consists of two programs: Resolve –  To Save 100 Million Lives, and Resolve –  To Prevent Epidemics. Across both programs, the Resolve initiative will employ best practice approaches to monitoring the extent of the problem and progress made, improving the global evidence base, and providing examples for other countries to follow, amplifying the overall impact of the project. 

Resolve – To Save 100 Million Lives

Cardiovascular disease (CVD - heart disease and stroke) kills 18 million people every year. High blood pressure alone is the world's leading cause of death, killing 10 million people every year, more than from all infectious diseases combined. Less than one (1) percent of the $35 billion spent annually on global health assistance is directed at preventing cardiovascular disease. Strategic investment in three key areas -- increasing global control of blood pressure, sodium reduction, and eliminating artificial trans fats -- could deliver rapid progress and help to prevent 100 million deaths from heart disease and stroke. The health care savings from effective management of blood pressure alone have been estimated to be US$100 billion per year.