Department of Health Awarded a Healthy People 2020 Evaluation Grant

The Office of Minority Health and Public Health Policy is pleased to announce that the Virginia Department of Health was awarded a Healthy People 2020 Evaluation Grant in the amount of $37,000. This project will position the Commonwealth of Virginia as a best practice site in using Healthy People 2020 (HP2020) goals and objectives to inform and guide statewide health and public policy decisions in order to promote public health, health care and health equity. The Grant will provide the means to improve the health in the Commonwealth of Virginia by building the public health knowledge base and improving the awareness of the HP2020 framework among key decision makers.

HP 2020 is a science-based, 10-year set of national objectives developed by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services for promoting health and preventing disease. The Secretary’s Advisory Committee of National Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Objectives for 2020 proposed a set of four overarching goals for HP 2020:

• Achieve health equity, eliminate disparities, and improve health for all groups
• Eliminate preventable disease, disability, injury and premature death
• Create social and physical environments that promote good health for all
• Promote healthy development and healthy behaviors across every state of life

The project will entail development and implementation of an education program for senior administration officials and key legislators – led by Virginia’s Commissioner of Health, Dr. Karen Remley and supported by Governor Tim Kaine and Secretary of Health and Human Resources Marilyn Tavenner – concerning key health outcomes, how they are determined, and how they can be impacted – directly or indirectly- by a wide range public policy decisions. Our goal is that legislative leaders and executive branch agency leaders will understand the relevance of the HP2020 framework and goals to their work, even if they do not consider their normal responsibilities to include health issues, and that they will utilize the HP2020 framework and goals to guide their work.

An anticipated outcome of this project is that each of Virginia’s state agencies will integrate HP2020 objectives into their strategic plans and performance measures. This will lead Virginia to incorporate HP2020 goals and objectives into the state’s performance leadership and accountability system, Virginia Performs, which will enable Virginia to quantify its success in promoting health and eliminating health inequalities.