Welcome to Healthy People 2020!

This is a site for public conversations and resource sharing to contribute to the development of the US national health objectives for disease prevention and health promotion.

What is Healthy People 2020?

(From Healthy People 2020: The Road Ahead)

Making a Difference

Healthy People provides science-based, 10-year national objectives for promoting health and preventing disease. Since 1979, Healthy People has set and monitored national health objectives to meet a broad range of health needs, encourage collaborations across sectors, guide individuals toward making informed health decisions, and measure the impact of our prevention activity. Currently, Healthy People 2010 is leading the way to achieve increased quality and years of healthy life and the elimination of health disparities.

Now Is the Time

Every 10 years, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) leverages scientific insights and lessons learned from the past decade, along with new knowledge of current data, trends, and innovations. Healthy People 2020 will reflect assessments of major risks to health and wellness, changing public health priorities, and emerging issues related to our nation's health preparedness and prevention.

The Process

The Healthy People process is inclusive; its strength is directly tied to collaboration. The development process strives to maximize transparency, public input and stakeholder dialogue to ensure that Healthy People 2020 is relevant to diverse public health needs and seizes opportunities to achieve its goals. Since its inception, Healthy People has become a broad-based, public engagement initiative with thousands of citizens helping to shape it at every step along the way. Drawing on the expertise of a Secretary's Advisory Committee on National Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Objectives for 2020 and public input, Healthy People will provide a framework to address risk factors and determinants of health and the diseases and disorders that affect our communities.

Stay Involved and Informed

Public participation will shape Healthy People 2020, its purpose, goals, organization, and action plans. HHS will seek input from communities and stakeholders through public meetings across the country and public comment periods. As a national initiative, Healthy People's success depends on a coordinated commitment to improve the health of the nation. Subscribe to the Healthy People listserv for the latest information on Healthy People 2020 and to receive e-mail notices of related news, events, publications, and more!

Public  written comments must be submitted via the Internet at the Healthy People Web site by the close of business Eastern Daylight Time on September 2, 2008. Comments submitted to the Web site after September 2, 2008 and before September 15, 2008 will be

considered by HHS but not reviewed by the Secretary's Advisory Committee.

Timing

Healthy People 2020 will be released in two phases. The framework (the vision, mission, goals, focus areas, and criteria for selecting and prioritizing objectives) will be released in late 2008 - early 2009. A year later, in January 2010, the Healthy People 2020 objectives will be released along with guidance for achieving the new 10-year targets.

Active Pages

Health Commuication Objectives for 2010

Information Therapy for Healthy People in 2020

Making Citizen Empowerment a Cornerstone for National Health Policy

Personal Health Records for All

Resources to Get Started

Healthy People Publications Page (Department of Health and Human Services)

Solicitation for Written Comments on the Development of Healthy People 2020. Federal Register Notice, 8 August 2008.