A vision for a healthier America: what the states can do

States face a growing chronic disease burden that threatens to overwhelm their fiscal resources and health care systems. Consequences of inaction--for individuals, states, and our country--are incalculable. To maintain global economic competitiveness, reduce burgeoning health care costs, and ensure that our children have healthy futures, disease prevention/health promotion must become a core value in state government. Although personal responsibility is crucial to attaining wellness, governors can play an essential role in reorienting states' actions toward prevention of ill health. Governors can motivate a shift in U.S. culture toward wellness through three primary avenues: communities, worksites, and schools.