Data and Information Systems

Looking at the Healthy People 2020 infrastructure objectives below, identify the two objectives that should be the highest priorities. Justify your answer using at least two scholarly sources.

Workforce

1. Increase the proportion of federal, tribal, state, and local public health agencies that incorporate the core competencies for public health professionals into job descriptions and performance evaluations.
2. (Developmental) Increase the proportion of tribal, state, and local public health personnel who receive continuing education consistent with the core competencies for public health professionals.
3. Increase the proportion of Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH)-accredited schools of public health, CEPH-accredited academic programs, and schools of nursing (with a public health or community health component) that integrate the core competencies for public health professionals into curricula.
4. Increase the proportion of 4-year colleges and universities that offer public health or related majors and/or minors.
5. (Developmental) Increase the proportion of 4-year colleges and universities that offer public health or related majors and/or minors that are consistent with the core competencies of undergraduate public health education.
6. Increase the proportion of 2-year colleges that offer public health or related associate degrees and/or certificate programs.

Data and Information Systems

1. Increase the proportion of population-based Healthy People 2020 objectives for which national data are available for all major population groups.
2. Increase the proportion of Healthy People 2020 objectives that are tracked regularly at the national level.
3. (Developmental) Increase the proportion of Healthy People 2020 objectives for which national data are released within 1 year of the end of data collection.
4. Increase the number of states that record vital events using the latest U.S. standard certificates and reports.

Public Health Organizations

1. Increase the proportion of tribal and state public health agencies that provide or assure comprehensive laboratory services to support essential public health services.
2. Increase the proportion of public health laboratory systems (including state, tribal, and local) that perform at a high level of quality in support of the 10 essential public health services.
3. Increase the proportion of tribal, state, and local public health agencies that provide or assure comprehensive epidemiology services to support essential public health services.
4. Increase the proportion of state and local public health jurisdictions that conduct a public health system assessment using national performance standards.
5. (Developmental) Increase the proportion of tribal, state, and local public health agencies that have implemented a health improvement plan and increase the proportion of local health jurisdictions that have implemented a health improvement plan linked with their state plan.
6. (Developmental) Increase the proportion of tribal, state, and local public health agencies that have implemented an agency-wide quality improvement process.
7. (Developmental) Increase the proportion of tribal, state, and local public health agencies that are accredited.