One in four people in the Americas has a chronic disease. These diseases-mainly cardiovascular disease, cancer, chronic respiratory disease, and diabetes-contribute to two thirds of U.S. healthcare costs. On September 12, CSIS senior fellow Katherine Bliss hosted Dr. Jon Andrus, deputy director of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), to discuss how PAHO's regional action strategy can inform the September 2011 high-level UN meeting on noncommunicable diseases. This meeting will be held 19-20 September in New York, and will gather authorities from all the world to discuss possible solutions to decrease the burden of these diseases.

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