Investment in global health programs protects national security, promotes economic growth

"Investment in global health programs protects our national security, promotes economic growth, and upholds humanitarian values," Jenny Eaton Dyer, executive director of Hope Through Healing Hands and a member of the Tennessee State Advisory Committee of the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition, writes in this opinion piece in the Tennessean, adding, "The investments Americans have made in global health have reduced worldwide deaths in children under five by half, virtually eliminated polio, distributed life-saving anti-retroviral therapy to millions of people with HIV/AIDS, and provided more than 260 million people with anti-malarial resources." She concludes, "These are tough times, and our political leaders face difficult decisions about where to cut to reduce the deficit and return to balanced budgets. As they make these critical decisions in Washington, I hope they will keep in mind that development programs not only protect our national security and create jobs here in Tennessee, but they also demonstrate the values of that we hold dear as a nation" (6/11).