Community-led initiative will bring resources and U.S. Public Health Service officers directly into four communities across the country to help prevent chronic disease in children
WASHINGTON, D.C. — AUGUST 19, 2026 — The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) today announced the launch of four Great Health for America pilot programs, a $32 million, two-year effort in which the Trump Administration will bring resources directly to communities and empower locals to help shape solutions to improve child health and prevent pediatric chronic disease.
The pilots will launch in Lake County, Indiana; the Sandusky and Toledo metro areas in Ohio; Brownsville, Texas; and Petersburg, Virginia.
“Every community wants the same thing: for its children to grow up healthy, strong, and ready to reach their full potential,” said Admiral Brian Christine, M.D., Assistant Secretary for Health. “The people who call these neighborhoods home know their strengths, their challenges, and their children best. Great Health for America is about showing up, listening, and bringing resources and expertise directly to communities so we can work together to build a healthier future for every child.”
Through a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention cooperative agreement, a grantee in each pilot program community is expected to receive $4 million per year for two years and collaborate with local health leaders and residents of a selected neighborhood and elementary school. Two commissioned U.S. Public Health Service officers will support this initiative by serving in each community, working alongside residents, schools, the public health system, health care providers, and local organizations to support implementation by strengthening partnerships and connecting communities with resources from across the federal government.
“Public Health Service officers will be there to listen, build relationships and work shoulder to shoulder with the people who know these communities best,” said Rear Admiral Paul Jung, M.D., Deputy Surgeon General. “Our officers bring public health expertise, but local residents bring something just as important: an understanding of what their communities need. Bringing those strengths together is how we build solutions that can last.”
A major focus of Great Health for America will be improving nutrition for children. HATCH for Hunger an a Longer Table will work with participating schools to increase access to high-quality food including eggs, 2 percent and whole milk, poultry, and other animal protein in school meals and local food pantries.
Great Health for America will also use live neighborhood-level data to monitor child health indicators and health care expenditures throughout the two-year program. This strategy will help communities understand what is working on the ground, allowing dynamic learning and implementation changes throughout the two-year period to optimize outcomes.
By combining local leadership, targeted federal investment, better nutrition, on-the-ground Public Health Service support and measurable results, Great Health for America will identify community-driven approaches that can inform future efforts to improve child health across the country.
For more information about the Great Health for America cooperative agreement, including the Notice of Funding Opportunity, visit the Great Health for America funding opportunity.