Online Program

Oral

Becoming the healthiest nation will only happen state by state. From the pacific northwest to the deep south to the heartland, states are at different points of progress towards meeting Healthy People 2020 goals. Each faces unique cultural, political and economic challenges - and opportunities - to advance a Healthy People 2020 agenda. Even in the states that face the greatest challenges, there are examples of bold and innovative action - and evidence of real progress. This special session, organized and moderated by the Public Health Institute (PHI), will bring together a group of visionary state leaders along with the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO) to highlight these cutting-edge state efforts. The states are drawn from across the country, and represent different political, social and demographic realities: California, Oklahoma, and Connecticut. ASTHO will present its work around the United Health Foundation’s (UHF) America's Health Rankings®. For the past 25 years, the Rankings have reported on a comprehensive set of health indicators (most of which overlap with Healthy People 2020 lead indicators) to provide a holistic view of the health of the nation on a state-by-state basis. However, there was a need to help states better understand how to use use the Rankings to spur action. ASTHO, with the support of UHF, led a five-state learning collaborative focused on improving health outcomes around diabetes, obesity, infant mortality, and/or smoking through systems-level changes in an effort to improve their ranking. These efforts informed a greater understanding of how the Rankings can be used to drive change. Oklahoma’s State Health Official, a participant in the ASTHO/UHF learning collaborative, will discuss concrete strategies for how they used the Rankings to push forward important reforms, such as better integration between the state department of health and the state department of mental health and substance abuse services. The Oklahoma Health Improvement Plan, guided by America's Health Rankings® indicators, has continually engaged policymakers and major stakeholders to help set flagship goals, infrastructure goals, and societal and policy integration in an effort to improve the health of all Oklahomans. Connecticut consistently ranks highly in America’s Health Rankings®, but their State Health Official recognizes the need to ensure optimal health at all stages of life. As ASTHO’s 2014-2015 President, she promoted the health of older adults in Connecticut and across the country using the National Prevention Strategy framework. California will discuss its Let's Get Healthy Task Force (LGHTF) and other innovative efforts to make California the healthiest state in the nation. In 2012, Governor Jerry Brown issued an Executive Order to establish the LGHTF to lay out a course to answer two questions: What will it look like if California is the healthiest state in the country? What will it take for California to be the healthiest state in the nation? For six months California's health and health care leaders came together to develop a framework for a 10-year plan, which then served as the basis for the California State Innovation Model. California will discuss the process of developing the LGHTF framework and how it is now being put into use to make progress on HP2020 and other key health indicators.

Session Objectives: •Identify strategies and tactics that state leaders are using to make their state the healthiest in the country - and how they are tracking progress. •Describe how state leaders have used the America's Health Rankings(r) to make progress on important HealthyPeople 2020 indicators and improve their America’s Health Ranking. •Discuss the framework developed by the Let's Get Healthy California Task Force, and how such a framework could be useful in your state.

CE Credits: Medical (CME), Health Education (CHES), Nursing (CNE), Public Health (CPH)