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CONTACT: Beth Kaplan, (608) 266-1683
STATE RELEASES 10-YEAR HEALTH PLAN
Comprehensive plan offers guidelines for increasing
access to care and maintaining lifelong prevention efforts
MADISON—The state's latest 10-year health plan,
"Healthiest Wisconsin 2020, Everyone Living Better, Longer," is
now available to focus public health efforts over the next decade. The
plan calls for building disease and injury prevention into many different
aspects of community life, including laws and policies, education,
healthcare and even the physical layout of communities. It also stresses
the need to eliminate disparities in health outcomes like infant
mortality, provide fair access to conditions needed for good health, and
emphasize lifelong prevention to achieve the highest quality of life at
every age.
"Every one of us can find a way in this plan to help make our
communities and state healthier," said Seth Foldy, State Health
Officer.
The plan emphasizes two big picture goals: eliminating persistent
disparities in health outcomes based on race, ethnicity, socioeconomic
factors, sexual or gender orientation and disability; and focusing on
quality of life for individuals throughout life both by increasing
prevention efforts and providing good care for people with chronic disease
and disabilities.
The plan sets out several major health improvement targets, including
smoking prevention, lowering obesity rates, ensuring access to good
nutrition and increasing exercise levels. The plan also emphasizes the
need to improve systems that support health, such as research, health
literacy, sustainable funding, partnerships and information systems.
"Everyone -- public health departments, educators, health care
providers, advocacy groups, employers, community coalitions and residents
-- can use this plan to make progress on at least one of these important
goals," Foldy said.
More than 1,500 people statewide participated in the development of the
plan, with implementation scheduled to begin this fall. Plan objectives
will be integrated into the work of foundations, universities, state and
local government agencies, private industries, healthcare organizations
and many others.
The Wisconsin Legislature has required the development of a health
improvement plan each decade, starting in 2000. For more information about
the 2020 plan, visit http://www.dhs.wisconsin.gov/hw2020/.
Click on "Entire Document" to access the plan.
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Last Revised: August 17, 2010 |
