Creating ways for healthful lifestyle habits to be the natural first choice for Americans is the goal of a $650 million initiative of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act will be used to increase physical activity, improve nutrition, decrease obesity, and decrease smoking in U.S. communities.

And then, on the same day Dr. Frieden was doing his best Oliver Twist before Congress:

$120 Million for States Made Available as Part of Recovery Act Community Prevention and Wellness Initiative

Now, the H1N1 is one of the more anticipated, slow-moving ‘pandemics’ in history. It hasn’t even really hit and it seems like old news. Surely, some of that $650 million in grants for ’healthy choices’ could have been used to, you know, actually keep people healthy.