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Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Bureau

The Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Bureau: 

  • Improves access to healthy, affordable food through federally and locally funded programs that provide benefits, financial incentives, and direct distribution of healthy food. 
  • Implements evidence-based interventions focused on nutrition education, physical activity promotion, breastfeeding support, tobacco and vaping cessation, and chronic disease self-management grounded in cultural understanding. 
  • Improves food, physical activity, and outdoor environments across retail stores, farmers markets, workplaces, hospitals, schools, early childhood education, parks and outdoor spaces. 
  • Works with health care providers to improve the consistency, delivery and use of preventive health services, with focus on cardiovascular disease prevention, diabetes management, hypertension control, asthma management, and screening for subjective-cognitive decline. 
  • Provide and/or ensure access to recommended and timely breast, cervical, colorectal, and lung cancer screening and treatment services. 
  • Collect and disseminate data on and provide strategy recommendations to reduce the burden of cancer. 

Federal Nutrition Assistance Programs 

  • Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) – Provides nutrition education, breastfeeding support, healthy foods, and referrals to healthcare and other community services to pregnant women, new mothers, infants, and children. All families are welcome, including foster parents, grandparents, fathers, working families, same-sex couples, and adoptive families. WIC participants also receive benefits to spend on fresh fruits and vegetables at the farmers market during the summer months through the WIC Farmers' Market Nutrition Program (FMNP). 
  • Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP), locally known as Grocery Plus, provides residents aged 60+ with monthly, shelf-stable groceries and nutrition education.  CSFP participants also receive $50 to buy fresh, locally grown fruits, vegetables, cut herbs, and honey from approved farmers at participating farmers’ markets between June 1st and November 30th through the Senior Farmers' Market Nutrition Program.  
  • The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) is a federally funded program that assists with supplementing the diets of low-income Americans, including the elderly, by providing them with emergency nutrition assistance at no cost. 
  • More information about federal nutrition programs listed by age group, in multiple languages, is available below: 

Local Nutrition Assistance Programs 

  • Produce Plus Program provides eligible DC residents with $40 per month to spend on local produce at participating farmer’s markets and farm stands throughout DC. 
  • Healthy Corner Stores Program partners with corner stores in Wards 5, 7, and 8 to stock fresh produce at below market prices and provides SNAP customers with coupons to purchase healthy food. 
  • Joyful Food Markets are monthly pop-up markets held in 53 elementary schools in Wards 7 and 8 where families can shop at no cost for a variety of produce items and pantry staples. 
  • Food and Friends provides medically tailored, home-delivered meals, groceries, and nutrition counseling to DC residents living with life-challenging illnesses and their caregivers. 

Tobacco Control Program 

  • The Tobacco Control Program works closely with government, community, and clinical partners to ensure that residents of all ages can achieve health by preventing the initiation of tobacco use, promoting cessation of tobacco, eliminating exposure to secondhand smoke and advancing health equity by identifying and eliminating commercial tobacco product-related inequities and disparities. Tobacco resources: 

Chronic Disease Management Programs 

  • The Asthma Program aims to improve outpatient pediatric asthma management, improve medication adherence and decrease emergency department utilization for children and youth with asthma. 
  • The Diabetes Prevention and Control Program reduces the burden of diabetes in the District of Columbia through partnerships aimed at policy change, sustainable community programming and health system quality improvements. 
  • The Cardiovascular Health Program aims to prevent cardiovascular disease and promote chronic disease self-management through partnerships that increase clinical and community connections and increase access to lifestyle change programs. In addition, the program works with health systems to implement quality improvement processes and interventions to improve the detection and management of patients with hypertension. 
  • The Brain Health Initiative aims to improve health outcomes and quality of life for persons living with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias, as well as their caregivers. 
  • In 2024, DC Health released the DC Plan on Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias 2024-2028. This state plan serves as a roadmap for stakeholders to make a meaningful impact on the lives of those affected by Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias (ADRD). This plan reflects the District’s commitment to promote health equity and address the growing needs of individuals with ADRD and their caregivers. 

Cancer Control Programs 

  • The Comprehensive Cancer Control Division works with community-based organizations, clinical partners, researchers, activists, policy makers and other stakeholders to reduce the District’s burden of cancer through prevention, early detection, and supporting survivors. 
  • The DC Cancer Coalition convenes stakeholders concerned with reducing the District’s cancer burden by collaboratively identifying and addressing gaps in cancer prevention and services. Guided by the best available evidence, local and national data, and the District of Columbia Cancer Control Plan, the Coalition identifies opportunities to support and coordinate with its members on the implementation of programs and policy interventions that equitably address the needs of all populations and communities. The Coalition serves as a collective voice, informing and ensuring these goals are achieved. 
  • Breast and Cervical Cancer - Project WISH (Women Into Staying Healthy) provides free breast and cervical cancer screening and diagnostic services to eligible women in the District of Columbia and its surrounding areas. Project WISH also supports patients in understanding and navigating the medical system, helps them find transportation assistance and organizes cancer education opportunities. 
  • Colorectal Cancer (DC3C) - partners with hospitals, Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs), primary care clinics and other health care organizations to increase colorectal cancer screening and diagnostic services. DC3C supports health care partners to implement strategies shown to increase colorectal cancer screening, outlined in the Guide to Community Preventive Services.  
  • The District of Columbia Cancer Registry collects and disseminates cancer data to guide cancer prevention efforts. The Cancer Registry tracks trends in cancer incidence, identifies differences in cancer by age, gender or race, examines the carcinogenic effects of environmental agents, uncovers geographical differences in cancer incidence and informs strategies for cancer prevention and control. 

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