HHS Unveils 10-Year Health Promotion Plan For America

Noting that many of the risk factors that lead to chronic diseases are preventable, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced a set of goals and objectives for promoting health and preventing disease in the U.S. over the next ten years. Healthy People 2020 is based on the idea that setting national objectives and monitoring progress can stimulate action. According to HHS, diseases such as heart disease, cancer and diabetes are responsible for seven out of every 10 deaths among Americans each year and account for 75 percent of the nation’s health spending. Based on input from a large number of health experts, government officials and organizations, the new initiative includes topic areas such as adolescent health, blood disorders and blood safety, dementias, early and middle childhood, genomics, etc.