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U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion

Public Health Infrastructure

Goal: Make sure public health agencies at all levels have the necessary infrastructure for key public health services.

A woman in a white lab coat uses a microscope while a man in a lab coat uses a computer touchscreen.

Public health infrastructure provides the necessary foundation for all public health services—from vaccinations to chronic disease prevention programs to emergency preparedness efforts. Healthy People 2030 focuses on creating a strong public health infrastructure. The Public Health Infrastructure objectives address high-performing health departments, workforce development and training, data and information systems, planning, and partnerships.

A strong public health infrastructure includes a capable and qualified workforce, up-to-date data and information systems, and agencies that can assess and respond to public health needs. While a strong infrastructure depends on many organizations working together, public health departments play a central role in the nation’s public health system. Federal agencies rely on a solid public health infrastructure in state, tribal, local, and territorial jurisdictions.

Objective Status

  • 2 Target met or exceeded
  • 3 Improving
  • 3 Little or no detectable change
  • 1 Getting worse
  • 4 Baseline only
  • 15 Developmental
  • 13 Research

Learn more about objective types

Related Objectives

The following is a sample of objectives related to this topic. Some objectives may include population data.

Public Health Infrastructure — General

Increase the number of states and DC that have an oral and craniofacial health surveillance system — OH‑D01
Developmental
Increase the proportion of state public health labs that provide services to support emerging issues — PHI‑D04
Developmental
Increase the proportion of state public health labs that use emerging technology to provide enhanced services — PHI‑D05
Developmental
Increase the proportion of territorial public health agencies that are accredited — PHI‑D07
Developmental
Increase the number of states and DC that track eye health and access to eye care — V‑D02
Developmental
Explore quality improvement as a way to increase efficiency and effectiveness in health departments — PHI‑R07
Research
Explore financing of the public health infrastructure — PHI‑R08
Research
Increase the proportion of federal data sources that include country of birth — SDOH‑R01
Research
Increase the proportion of state public health agencies that are accredited — PHI‑01
Target met or exceeded
Increase the proportion of local public health agencies that are accredited — PHI‑02
Improving
Increase the number of tribal public health agencies that are accredited — PHI‑03
Improving

Community

Increase the proportion of local jurisdictions that have a health improvement plan — PHI‑05
Little or no detectable change
Increase the proportion of state and territorial jurisdictions that have a health improvement plan — PHI‑04
Getting worse
Increase the proportion of tribal communities that have a health improvement plan — PHI‑08
Baseline only
Explore the impact of community health assessment and improvement planning efforts — PHI‑R09
Research
Explore the impact of public health accreditation and national standards — PHI‑R10
Research

Family Planning

Increase the proportion of publicly funded clinics that offer the full range of reversible birth control — FP‑D01
Developmental

Global Health

Increase the number of individuals trained globally to prevent, detect, or respond to public health threats — GH‑D01
Developmental
Increase the number of globally important public health events that are tracked and reported — GH‑D02
Developmental
Increase laboratory diagnostic testing capacity, surveillance, and reporting globally — GH‑D03
Developmental

Health Communication

Increase the number of state health departments that use social marketing in health promotion programs — HC/HIT‑D01
Developmental

Health IT

Increase the proportion of vital records/health statistics programs that are nationally accredited — PHI‑D03
Developmental
Enhance the use and capabilities of informatics in public health — PHI‑R06
Research

LGBT

Increase the number of states, territories, and DC that include sexual orientation and gender identity questions in the BRFSS — LGBT‑03
Improving
Increase the number of states, territories, and DC that use the standard module on sexual orientation and gender identity in the BRFSS — LGBT‑04
Little or no detectable change
Increase the number of national surveys that collect data on lesbian, gay, and bisexual populations — LGBT‑01
Baseline only
Increase the number of national surveys that collect data on transgender populations — LGBT‑02
Baseline only

People with Disabilities

Increase the proportion of national surveys with questions that identify people with disabilities — DH‑R01
Research
Increase the proportion of state and DC health departments with programs aimed at improving health in people with disabilities — DH‑R02
Research

Vaccination

Increase the proportion of people with vaccination records in an information system — IID‑D02
Developmental

Violence Prevention

Increase the number of states where a child fatality team reviews external causes of death in children — IVP‑D01
Developmental
Increase the number of states where a child fatality team reviews sudden and unexpected deaths in infants — IVP‑D02
Developmental

Workforce

Increase the proportion of local public health agencies that use core competencies in continuing education — PHI‑07
Target met or exceeded
Increase the proportion of state and territorial public health agencies that use core competencies in continuing education — PHI‑06
Little or no detectable change
Increase the proportion of tribal public health agencies that use core competencies in continuing education — PHI‑09
Baseline only
Increase the proportion of territorial public health agencies that use core competencies in continuing education — PHI‑D02
Developmental
Explore and expand practice-based continuing education for public health professionals — PHI‑R01
Research
Expand public health pipeline programs that include service or experiential learning — PHI‑R02
Research
Increase use of core and discipline-specific competencies to drive workforce development — PHI‑R03
Research
Monitor and understand the public health workforce — PHI‑R04
Research
Monitor the education of the public health workforce — PHI‑R05
Research

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