Our Vision & Mission

Our Vision & Mission

VT Health Department vision and mission word cloud

public health in vermont

Our many programs and initiatives help Vermonters live fuller, healthier lives from birth through old age.

We focus on prevention, one of the best investments that can be made in health. We promote healthy behaviors such as eating a healthy diet, having regular physical activity, and not smoking or abusing alcohol or other drugs.

We work to improve access to health services such as immunizations, mammograms, HIV/AIDS testing and care, and prenatal care. We investigate disease outbreaks and take action to control the spread of illness.

We license physicians and hospitals, emergency medical personnel and services, inspect food and lodging establishments, and enforce health regulations. We prepare for and respond to public health threats and emergencies.

We continually track and report on the health status of Vermonters, health risks and behaviors, and progress toward meeting Healthy Vermonters 2020 goals. We empower Vermonters with current, correct and credible information to stay safe and healthy.

And it is our calling in public health to focus on avoidable inequalities, especially for those people who have experienced socioeconomic disadvantage and social injustice.

Our Vision & Mission Poster
Our Culture & Values Poster
Fiscal Year 2019 Budget

In This Section

On June 19, 2014 Health Commissioner Harry Chen, MD announced the news that Vermont had become one of the first five state health departments to receive national public health accreditation.

It takes a village to create a fair and just opportunity for health. No individual solution will do: we must all work together, at all levels and all sectors, to build a culture of health in Vermont.

The Health Department is committed to improving health equity. Health equity is inherent in our mission to protect and promote the best of health for all Vermonters. 

Public health efforts began in Vermont, as elsewhere, out of a need to protect the public from diseases caused mostly by unsafe water supplies and contagion Here's a summary of important moments in our first 100 years of public health in Vermont.

Join us for Public Health Grand Rounds, a series of presentations about significant public health issues and the challenges they pose.