National Center for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention
Welcome!
This site is sponsored by the VHA National Center for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention (NCP) to help Veterans stay "well and well-informed."
For Patients
For Clinicians
Publications
For Patients
Health care resources for Veterans and the public are located on this page. You will find information for use to stay healthy. Links to other VA program offices and programs are also provided.
For Clinicians
Health care resources for clinicians and others in health care are located on this page. You will find information for use in your practice and corresponding information for Veterans and the public. Links to other VA program offices and programs are also provided.
Publications
NCP Highlights is an annual publication that summarizes the activities and accomplishments of the VHA National Center for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention.
Read the latest versions of these publications.
For more information on these and other VHA publications, visit the VHA Publications website.
Recommended Preventive Services for Men and Women
Getting recommended preventive services, such as screening tests and immunizations, is an important part of staying healthy. Which preventive services are recommended for you depends on your age, sex, health status, and family history. Here is a schedule to help you understand VA’s preventive services recommendations for average-risk men and women:
It’s important to remember that all preventive services have “pros” and “cons.” Learning about possible benefits and harms can help you make the best decision. Talk with your VA health care team about the preventive services that are recommended for people like you.
Staying Healthy Recommendation Charts list clinical preventive care Veterans should receive based on age, assigned sex at birth, and the type of preventive health service (e.g., screenings, preventive medications, health counseling, and vaccines). Current evidence is based on birth sex. Because there is limited research on this population, health care staff caring for transgender and gender diverse Veterans should offer individualized clinical preventive services to achieve optimal health and well-being.
Cancer Screening Videos
Dr. H. Gilbert Welch, a former general internist at the White River Junction VAMC, has produced several short videos that explain how the screening process works. These videos address lead time and overdiagnosis bias, as well as several topics related to cancer screening:
- Lead time Bias
- Overdiagnosis bias
- Cancer Screening I—Benefits and Harms
- Cancer Screening II—False Positive Results
- Cancer Screening III – Overdiagnosis
- Cancer Screening IV—Overdiagnosis (longterm RCT followup)
Dr. Welch’s research focuses on the problems created by medicine's efforts to detect disease early—namely, that physicians test too often, treat too aggressively, and tell too many people that they’re sick. Most of his work has focused on overdiagnosis in cancer screening, in particular for melanoma, cervical, breast, and prostate cancer. He is also the author of the books Should I be Tested for Cancer? Maybe Not and Here's Why, Overdiagnosed: Making People Sick in the Pursuit of Health, and most recently, Less Medicine, More Health. Seven Assumptions that Drive Too Much Medical Care.
