- The ARC - California Edition -

Healthy People 2010
Understanding and Improving Health

Early this year, the federal Health and Human Services unveiled a set of objectives aimed at improving the health of everyone in the United States over the next 10 year period. This is the third edition of 10-year targets for health improvement and is designed to be a roadmap for focusing on the most significant prevention issues in our country.

This Healthy People 2010 plan was more than 4 years in the making and involved input from The Health People Consortium. This is a group of some 650 national professional and voluntary membership organizations, the business community, and State and local public health agencies. This consortium includes members from The Arc of the United States.

Healthy People 2010 contains two broad goals. One is to increase the years and quality of healthy life. The second goal is to eliminate health disparities. These goals are supported by 467 objectives, grouped into 28 focus areas, each documented in an individual chapter of the plan.

Although the entire document is of importance to every person, members of The Arc Health Promotion and Disability Prevention committee gave four chapters a high degree of attention: 1) Chapter 6 – Disability and Secondary Conditions; 2) Chapter 14 – Immunization and Infectious Diseases; 3) Chapter 15 – Injury and Violence Prevention, and 4) Chapter 16 – Maternal, Infant, and Child Health. 

Information concerning obtaining copies of all or part of the Healthy People 2010 document can be obtained from the Healthy People information line, phone 1-800-367-4725.