Healthy People 2020

Law and Health Policy Project

Healthy Peopleis a set of goals and objectives with 10-year targets designed to guide national health promotion and disease prevention efforts to improve the health of all people in the United States. Released by the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) each decade, Healthy Peopleshows that setting objectives and providing science-based benchmarks to monitor progress can motivate and focus action. Healthy People 2020 (HP2020)is the fourth generation of this initiative, building on three decades of work. Healthy Peopleis a tool for strategic management by the federal government, states, communities, and many other public- and private-sector partners. Its comprehensive set of objectives and targets measures progress for health issues in specific populations and is 1) a foundation for prevention and wellness activities across various sectors and within the federal government and 2) a model for measurement at the state and local levels.

Laws play a critical role in achieving public health goals and benchmarks, such as those presented in HP2020. HP2020includes a project centered on the links between Healthy Peopletopics and law and health policy. The HP2020Law and Health Policy Project is a collaboration between federal partners and subject matter experts that explores “how laws and policies can assist people in making healthier choices.” ¹ The project will produce between 10 and 15 reports, each focused on a particular HP2020topic. The reports will underscore how laws and policies on federal, state, and local levels affect health factors.

In collaboration with and support of the Healthy People 2020 Law and Health Policy Project, CDC’s Public Health Law Program has created the following resources:

Research Anthologies

• Access to Health Services
• Disability and Health
• Mental Health and Mental Disorders
• Older Adults and Health
• Oral Health
• Substance Abuse

Recorded Webinars

• American Bar Association/HHS/CDC Webinar: Introduction to HP2020 LHPP
• American Bar Association/HHS/CDC Webinar: Older Adults
• American Bar Association/HHS/CDC Webinar: Healthcare-Associated Infections

1. Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Funds New Healthy People 2020 Law and Health Policy Project Through CDC Foundation, CDC Foundation (Mar. 11, 2014), www.cdcfoundation.org/pr/2014/robert-wood-johnson-foundation-funds-new-healthy-people-2020-law-and-health-policy-project.