Demonstrating the Value of Law and Policy to Health: The Healthy People 2020 Law and Health Policy Project

The Healthy People 2020 (HP2020) initiative provides science-based national objectives for a decade to improve the health of all Americans. The goal is to: encourage collaborations across communities and sectors; empower individuals toward making informed health decisions; and measure the impact of prevention activities. The initiative promotes a broad vision of health that encompasses evidence and perspective from many sectors and partners -benefitting the health in all policies approach.

To demonstrate the impact and effect that laws and policies can have on health, the HP2020 Law and Health Policy Project was created. This project, a partnership between the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and CDC Foundation, will produce 10-15 evidence-based reports that showcase how the use of legal and policy interventions/strategies are effective tools in meeting HP2020 measureable, science-based objectives. Each report will feature progress toward meeting the salient HP2020 objectives, include policy surveillance information, focus on state and local laws and policies, and highlight evidence-based laws or case studies with demonstrated health outcomes. This presentation will explain the process for developing the HP2020 Law and Health Policy project, share information from the first reports being produced on diverse health-related topics, and explain their anticipated value for those leaders aiming to use the best possible evidence related to laws and policies to improve health. These reports are geared at a broad audience including: health officials and associations, legal practitioners, researchers, non-profit organizations, policymakers, and individuals.