RESUMO
The Preventive Health and Health Services Block Grant funds a variety of disparate programs in health promotion and disease prevention. Many of these programs were funded by categorical grants to the States prior to the creation of this block grant in 1981. This block grant allows States to set priorities among the different programs by shifting their funding allocations. In addition, there is considerable opportunity to use these funds creatively in shaping the content of their programs. The Massachusetts Department of Public Health's experience with this block grant is reviewed, showing the grant's critical importance in the department's statewide disease prevention efforts. In order to maximize public health impact, the department has shifted its funding allocations based on explicit criteria. These criteria represent a model that may have widespread applicability for other State health departments.