Contact: Beth Kaplan
(608) 266-1683
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://dhs.wisconsin.gov/hw2020/. Click on “Entire Document” to access the plan.
