Prevention Matters

Partnership for Prevention was an invited guest at the December 2 launch of Healthy People 2020, with both Jonathan E. Fielding, MD, MPH, MBA, Chair, Partnership for Prevention, who also serves as Chair of the Secretary’s Advisory Committee on National Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Objectives for 2020 and Catherine M. Baase, MD, Global Medical Director, Dow Chemical and Secretary of the Board of Directors, making remarks.

Healthy People 2020, the ambitious agenda for improving the nation’s health, are the result of a multiyear process that reflects input from a diverse group of individuals and organizations. Healthy People provides science-based, 10-year national objectives for improving the health of all Americans. For decades, Healthy People has established benchmarks and monitored progress over time in order to:

• Encourage collaborations across sectors. 
• Guide individuals toward making informed health decisions. 
• Measure the impact of prevention activities. 

• Identify nationwide health improvement priorities. 
• Increase public awareness and understanding of the determinants of health, disease, and disability and the opportunities for progress. 
• Provide measurable objectives and goals that are applicable at the national, State, and local levels. 
• Engage multiple sectors to take actions to strengthen policies and improve practices that are driven by the best available evidence and knowledge. 
• Identify critical research, evaluation, and data collection needs.