Diligent Investigation Results in
Health Objectives for 2010
The new millennium will begin with the release of a carefully constructed set of health objectives for the Nation intended for achievement by 2010. Healthy People 2010 is the "prevention agenda for the Nation." That agenda consists both of broad goals and very specific health promotion and disease prevention objectives organized into a framework of 28 focus areas. The focus areas aim to address high priority health issues.

The 2010 agenda builds upon the Healthy People 2000 objectives, which were set in 1990 and have formed the basis for diligent efforts by many partners over the last decade.

More than two years of effort have gone into the process of identifying the current most significant preventable threats to the Nation’s health.

The development process for the 2010 goals and objectives began in 1997 and is being coordinated by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).  HHS is working in partnership with the Healthy People Consortium, which is an alliance of 350 national organizations and 300 state health departments, and state mental health, substance abuse, and environmental health agencies.

All these partner organizations and the general public have been an integral part of the development process, commenting on the proposed draft goals and objectives and contributing insights from their constituencies.

In addition, important contributions have been made by the Coalition for Healthier Cities and Communities, a grass-roots organization and the Healthy People Business Advisory Council, a representative cross-section of small to large businesses that are working to focus the attention of America’s worksites on the health objectives.

All these efforts have parallels in the international "Health for All" initiative sponsored by the World Health Organization, which focuses on achieving better health in diverse populations.

Page created 3 August 2000

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