In his latest plea to “Make America Healthy Again,” U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is poised to launch an expansive ad campaign to influence Americans’ habits.
In a document obtained by NBC News, Kennedy’s department details a four-year “Take Back Your Health” campaign. It could cost around $20 million in labor costs alone, according to someone familiar with the endeavor, NBC reported.
This comes just a month after the secretary claimed “to do more with less.” He announced extensive budget cuts to the department, threatening thousands of jobs and the day-to-day operations of long-standing agencies, such as Medicare.
The campaign will employ a public relations firm and use 30 people to create the ads, which will run three times a day across five networks.
“Empowering Americans with the knowledge to make healthy decisions is central to HHS’s mission. Our upcoming ad campaign is both an investment in our nation’s wellbeing and a commitment to Make America Healthy Again,” an official of the HHS department said in a statement. “While HHS has not disclosed specific costs for the initiative, the competitive RFP process is designed to ensure funds are used wisely and deliver the greatest return on investment for the American people.”
The campaign aligns with the secretary’s agenda of curbing chronic conditions through healthy lifestyle habits, such as eating well, exercising, and managing stress. The campaign, according to the document, will encourage people to “take the pledge” toward a healthier lifestyle through “clean eating” and “spiritual growth.” However, there is no mention of funding for improving health literacy or making more nutritious food more accessible, according to NBC.
