Celebrate Health of US (CHoUS): Priority Markets

Priority Markets for NCD Intervention – Top 20 U.S. States

Rank	State	Key NCD Stats	Current Impact	Projected Impact if Unchanged	Likely Impact if They Roll with Us
1	Mississippi	High obesity (40%), diabetes (14%), CVD death rate: 400/100k	High healthcare costs, low productivity	Increasing chronic disease burden, reduced workforce efficiency	Reduced obesity and diabetes rates, improved productivity, long-term healthcare cost savings
2	West Virginia	Diabetes (15%), obesity (39%), smoking rate (21%)	High premature mortality	Healthcare spending and mortality may rise sharply	Improved health outcomes, lower preventable deaths
3	Alabama	Obesity 36%, diabetes 14%, CVD death rate 380/100k	Significant economic impact from lost work days	Chronic disease escalation	Better workforce participation, reduced hospitalization
4	Louisiana	Obesity 36%, diabetes 13%, high stroke rates	Strain on Medicaid and local hospitals	Growing cardiovascular and renal complications	Lower incidence of NCDs, better quality of life
5	Kentucky	Diabetes 13%, obesity 36%, high cancer prevalence	High preventable mortality	Escalating healthcare burden	Fewer hospitalizations, community wellness improvements
6	Arkansas	Obesity 35%, diabetes 12%	Elevated healthcare costs	Rising metabolic disease prevalence	Reduced costs, healthier communities
7	Oklahoma	Obesity 35%, diabetes 12%, high CVD	Workforce productivity loss	Long-term morbidity increases	Increased healthy life expectancy, reduced mortality
8	Tennessee	Obesity 36%, diabetes 12%	Regional disparities in health	Hospitalization rates could rise	Community-based health improvement
9	Missouri	Diabetes 11%, obesity 34%	Cardiovascular and cancer risk	Escalating chronic disease burden	Healthier workforce, lower insurance claims
10	Indiana	Obesity 34%, diabetes 11%	High NCD-related deaths	Chronic disease prevalence may rise	Preventable deaths decline, productivity up
11	Michigan	Obesity 34%, diabetes 11%	High CVD and stroke rates	Rising hospital admissions	Reduced burden on healthcare system
12	Ohio	Diabetes 11%, obesity 33%	Increased premature mortality	Chronic illness expected to grow	Workforce efficiency and public health improve
13	North Carolina	Obesity 34%, diabetes 11%	Rural areas heavily impacted	Growing NCD incidence	Health equity improvement, reduced mortality
14	South Carolina	Obesity 34%, diabetes 11%	Cardiovascular deaths high	Chronic disease escalation	Long-term cost savings, improved population health
15	Florida	Obesity 32%, diabetes 10%	Aging population with high NCD risk	Future healthcare burden will rise	Better elderly health, reduced hospital strain
16	Texas	Obesity 33%, diabetes 11%	Large population, high diabetes prevalence	Healthcare system strain	Broad-scale NCD reduction, improved productivity
17	New York	Diabetes 10%, obesity 28%	Urban disparities, high CVD risk	Could increase chronic disease morbidity	Lower hospitalization, better urban health outcomes
18	California	Obesity 26%, diabetes 9%	Rising obesity in underserved communities	Long-term chronic disease burden	Targeted prevention reduces costs and improves community wellness
19	Pennsylvania	Obesity 32%, diabetes 10%	High cardiovascular risk	Rising hospitalizations	Healthier workforce, lower mortality
20	Georgia	Obesity 33%, diabetes 11%	Urban-rural health disparities	Chronic disease prevalence could increase	Community wellness programs improve quality of life

Notes on Approach

• Current impact includes mortality, hospitalization, and productivity loss due to NCDs.
• Projected impact if unchanged is based on trends from CDC and state health reports.
• Likely impact via intervention through Celebrate Health NCD prevention program, leading to reduced incidence, healthcare savings, and improved community wellness.

Here is an up-to-date list of department heads or equivalents to the US Secretary of Health and Human Services at the state level, with position titles and primary contact info, for each of the 20 Celebrate Health priority states (as of September 2025):

State	Name & Title	Phone	Email	Address	Website
Mississippi	Dr. Daniel Edney, State Health Officer	601-576-7634	—	570 E Woodrow Wilson Ave, Jackson, MS	healthyms.com
West Virginia	Dr. Arvin Singh, Secretary, Dept. of Health	304-558-0684	[email protected]	350 Capitol St, Charleston, WV	dhhr.wv.gov
Alabama	Dr. Scott Harris, State Health Officer	334-206-5200	—	RSA Tower, 201 Monroe St, Montgomery, AL	alabamapublichealth.gov
Louisiana	Bruce D. Greenstein, Secretary, Dept. of Health	225-342-9500	—	628 N 4th St, Baton Rouge, LA	ldh.la.gov
Kentucky	Dr. John Langefeld, Commissioner of Public Health	502-564-3970	—	275 E. Main St, Frankfort, KY	chfs.ky.gov
Arkansas	Dr. Jennifer Dillaha, Director, Dept. of Health	501-661-2400	—	4815 W Markham St, Little Rock, AR	healthy.arkansas.gov
Oklahoma	Keith Reed, Commissioner of Health	405-426-8000	—	123 Robert S. Kerr Ave, Oklahoma City, OK	oklahoma.gov
Tennessee	Dr. John R. Dunn, State Health Commissioner (Interim)	615-741-3111	—	710 James Robertson Pkwy, Nashville, TN	tn.gov
Missouri	Sarah Willson, Director, Dept. of Health & Senior Services	573-751-6001	—	912 Wildwood, Jefferson City, MO	health.mo.gov
Indiana	Dr. Lindsay Weaver, Commissioner of Health	317-233-1325	[email protected]	2 North Meridian St, Indianapolis, IN	in.gov/health
Michigan	Elizabeth Hertel, Director, Dept. of Health & Human Services	517-373-3626	[email protected]	333 S. Grand Ave, Lansing, MI	michigan.gov/mdhhs
Ohio	Dr. Bruce T. Vanderhoff, Director, Dept. of Health	614-466-3543	—	246 N High St, Columbus, OH	odh.ohio.gov
North Carolina	Dr. Devdutta “Dev” Sangvai, Secretary, Dept. of Health & Human Services	919-855-4800	—	2001 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, NC	ncdhhs.gov
South Carolina	Dr. Edward Simmer, Interim Director, Dept. of Public Health	803-898-3432	—	2600 Bull St, Columbia, SC	dph.sc.gov
Florida	Dr. Joseph A. Ladapo, State Surgeon General	850-245-4444	[email protected]	4052 Bald Cypress Way, Tallahassee, FL	floridahealth.gov
Texas	Cecile Young, Executive Commissioner, Health & Human Services	512-424-6500	[email protected]	4900 N Lamar Blvd, Austin, TX	hhs.texas.gov
New York	Dr. James McDonald, Commissioner of Health	518-474-2011	—	Corning Tower, Albany, NY	health.ny.gov
California	Dr. Erica Pan, Director, Dept. of Public Health	—	[email protected]	1615 Capitol Ave, Sacramento, CA	cdph.ca.gov
Pennsylvania	Dr. Debra Bogen, Acting Secretary of Health	877-724-3258	—	625 Forster St, Harrisburg, PA	health.pa.gov
Georgia	Dr. Kathleen Toomey, Commissioner, Dept. of Public Health	404-657-2700	—	2 Peachtree St NW, Atlanta, GA	dph.georgia.gov

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. – Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS)

• Main Office Address:
  U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
  200 Independence Ave SW, Washington, DC 20201
• Main Office Phone:
  877-696-6775 (HHS General Inquiries)
• Office of the Secretary general contact:
  HHS Website Contact Form or Phone Line:
  https://www.hhs.gov/about/contact-us/index.html
• Chief of Staff: Matt Buckham (no public direct email)
• Deputy Secretary: Jim O’Neill (no public direct email)
• General Requests Email:
  [email protected] (for general inquiries)
• RFK Jr. Campaign Contact (for non-official matters):
  [email protected] (campaign/general inquiries)