Uncle Sam wants you….to be healthier by 2020. Last week, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) unveiled Healthy People 2020, a 10 year plan with goals and objectives for the promotion of health and disease prevention. The initiative sets national objectives and measurable monitoring yardsticks that will evaluate progress on promotion and awareness of healthcare goals.
“Too many people are not reaching their full potential for health because of preventable conditions,” said Assistant Secretary for Health Howard K. Koh, M.D., M.P.H. “Healthy People is the nation’s roadmap and compass for better health, providing our society a vision for improving both the quantity and quality of life for all Americans.”
As part of the Healthy People plan, HHS is encouraging IT professionals to create easy-to-use applications for professionals who are working with the new national health objectives and state- and community-level health data.
Healthy People 2020 goals include such areas as:
- Adolescent Health
- Blood Disorders and Blood Safety
- Dementias, including Alzheimer’s Disease
- Early and Middle Childhood
- Genomics
- Global Health
- Health-Related Quality of Life and Well-Being
- Health Care-associated Infections
- Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Health
- Older Adults
- Preparedness
- Sleep Health
- Social Determinants of Health
“This milestone in disease prevention and health promotion creates an opportunity to leverage information technology to make Healthy People come alive for all Americans in their communities and workplaces,” said Chief Technology Officer Todd Park. “The ‘myHealthyPeople’ apps challenge will help spur innovative approaches to helping communities track their progress using Healthy People objectives and targets as well as develop an agenda for health improvement.”
