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  Healthy People - Healthy Connecticut
 
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NEWS

March 25, 2014
DPH Issues Report on the Health of Connecticut Residents and Plan for Improving Health by 2020.
Two new documents--Health Connecticut 2020: 1. State Health Assessment, and Healthy Connecticut 2020: 2. State Health Improvement Plan--were released at today's meeting of the Connecticut Health Improvement Planning Coalition (see news release). 

A Public Comment period for the Plan runs from today through April 30, 2014.  Please see below for links to the Assessment, Plan, and an online Public Comment Survey.
For more information about the State Health Assessment and State Health Improvement Planning processes, please visit the State Health Assessment and Planning web page.
If you have any questions or additional comments, we would like to hear from you! Please write to us at: HCT2020@ct.gov
 
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October 8, 2011
Commissioner Jewel Mullen Speaks to Nation on Connecticut's Public Health Achievements and Challenges
DPH Commissioner Jewel Mullen, MD, MPH, MPA shared Connecticut's public health success stories from
the past decade and challenges for 2020, in a Webcast to the nation's public health community on
October 6, 2011.

Dr. Mullen joined the U.S. Assistant Secretary for Health, Dr. Howard K. Koh, and the Director of the National Center for Health Statistics, Dr. Edward Sondik, for the Webcast, entitled, "Health in the United States—A Review of the First Decade of the 21st Century."

The Webinar covered the end-of-decade assessment of national progress in achieving the Healthy People 2010 goals and objectives, and introduced a new report, the Healthy People 2010 Final Review.

Follow the links below to view Dr. Mullen's presentation and hear her remarks.

      "What a Difference a Decade Makes" by Dr. Jewel Mullen (slides only, PDF file, 900 KB)

      "What a Difference a Decade Makes" by Dr. Jewel Mullen (audio only, MP3 file, 6 MB)

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May 30, 2011
 
DPH Receives Healthy People 2020 Action Project Grant Award
 
The Connecticut Department of Public Health was awarded a grant of $26,361 from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to implement a Healthy People 2020 Action Project. The focus of Connecticut's project will be activities to further the two objectives in the new Genomics topic area of Healthy People 2020. The objectives reflect increasing scientific evidence of health benefits from using genetic tests and family health history to guide clinical and public health interventions.  More information...
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Healthy People
 
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has issued a comprehensive set of national public health objectives every 10 years since 1980.  The initiative, known as Healthy People, sets objectives and provides benchmarks to track and monitor progress that can motivate, guide, and focus action to improve the nation's health.
 
 Link to Healthy People 2020
Healthy People 2020
 
Healthy People 2020, the nation’s new 10-year goals and objectives for health promotion and disease prevention, was launched on December 2, 2010 by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. HHS is also released a newly redesigned Healthy People Web site that allows users to tailor information on the 570 objectives to their needs, and explore evidence-based resources for implementation. The Web site is located at: www.healthypeople.gov .
 
The overarching national goals for 2020 are:
  • Eliminate preventable disease, disability, injury, and premature death
  • Achieve health equity, eliminate disparities, and improve the health of all groups
  • Create social and physical environments that promote good health for all
  • Promote healthy development and healthy behaviors across every stage of life

Along with key topic areas (such as Access to Health Services, Family Planning, Immunization, Tobacco Use, and various chronic diseases) from previous issues of Healthy People, new topic areas, each with its own goals and objectives, have been added for 2020. They are:

  • 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
  • Healthcare-Associated Infections
  • Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Health
  • Older Adults
  • Preparedness
  • Sleep Health
  • Social Determinants of Health
Healthy People 2020 Leading Health Indicators
 
The Leading Health Indicators for Healthy People 2020 will be released on October 31, 2011 (see announcement above). Twelve indicators were recommended by the Institute of Medicine in March, and are intended to sharpen the focus of the national health agenda.
  • Access to Care
  • Healthy Behaviors
  • Chronic Disease
  • Environmental Determinants
  • Social Determinants
  • Injury
  • Mental Health
  • Maternal & Infant Health
  • Responsible Sexual Behavior
  • Substance Abuse
  • Tobacco
  • Quality of Care
For details about the recommended indicators and the objectives for each, please see the publication, Leading Health Indicators for Healthy People 2020: Letter Report by the Institute of Medicine.
 
 
Healthy Connecticut
 
The Healthy Connecticut Program is our state's translation of the national Healthy People initiative. Like Healthy People, Healthy Connecticut provides a framework for health promotion and disease prevention, with goals, objectives, and strategies for identifying and reducing the most important preventable threats to the health of Connecticut residents. 
 
Healthy Connecticut was launched in 1994 by the Connecticut Department of Public Health to apply national goals and objectives based on our own state's priorities, which sometimes differ from those of the U.S. as a whole. Connecticut's projects have paralleled the national decade-long plans.
 
Healthy Connecticut 2020
 
A kick-off seminar for Healthy Connecticut 2020 was held on April 14, 2011 at Southern Connecticut State University. The event featured keynote talks by Rear Admiral Michael R. Milner, DHHS Region I Administratory, and Dr. Jewel Mullen, Connecticut's Public Health Commissioner. (See event flyer)
 
The first steps toward developing a Healthy Connecticut 2020 plan were taken in the early summer of 2012 with the launch of a comprehensive State Health Assessment.
 
Preliminary findings from the State Health Assessment were issued on January 31, 2013 at the first meeting of the Connecticut Health Improvement Planning Coalition. The Coalition, led by DPH, formed Work Groups which, during the next year, engineered the goals, objectives, and strategies for the Healthy Connecticut 2020, State Health Improvement Plan, the roadmap for improving health and health equity in Connecticut during the current decade.
 
The final Healthy Connecticut 2020, State Health Assessment, released on March 25, 2014 concurrent with the Plan, describes the health status of Connecticut residents and identifies resources in Connecticut that can be mobilized to address health issues.
 
 
Healthy People 2020 Action Project
 
In May, 2011, DPH received a grant for $26,361 from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to implement a Healthy People 2020 Action Project. The focus of Connecticut's project will be activities to further the two objectives in the new Genomics topic area  of Healthy People 2020. The objectives reflect increasing scientific evidence of health benefits from using genetic tests and family health history to guide clinical and public health interventions. (See Connecticut's Healthy People 2020 Action Project)
 
Healthy Connecticut 2010
 
Healthy Connecticut 2010 Final Report (June, 2010) PDF, 2.5 MB
 
Released on June 16, 2010, the Healthy Connecticut 2010 Final Report describes progress made during the past decade to improve the health of Connecticut residents and eliminate health disparities. The report contains summary information and annual tracking data for 33 objectives related to the 10 Leading Health Indicators described in  Healthy People 2010, the nation's health agenda.
 
The Leading Health Indicators are:
  • Physical Activity 
  • Overweight and Obesity 
  • Tobacco Use 
  • Alcohol and Substance Abuse 
  • Responsible Sexual Behavior 
  • Mental Health 
  • Injury and Violence 
  • Environmental Quality 
  • Immunization 
  • Access to Health Care 
Healthy Connecticut 2000
 
More than 100 objectives in 17 priority areas, focusing on health status and risk reduction.
 
A mid-course review that added two Services and Protection priority areas, with objectives aimed at increasing access to and quality of preventive health care.
 
An evaluation of Connecticut's progress toward and success in achieving its year 2000 objectives
 
 
For more information
Please phone Public Health Systerms Improvement at (860) 509-8070.
 
 
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