A shared community resource for improving population health for those living and working in the District

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, the District of Columbia (DC) Department of Health (DC Health) released the DC Healthy People 2020 (DC HP2020) framework report, which will guide the city’s efforts in improving population health through multi-sector collaboration by incorporating diverse voices and breaking down silos to achieve better health outcomes. 

 

DC HP2020 aims to be a valuable resource for population health data, housing over 150 key health objectives and targets. The report recommends 85 evidence-based practices for organizations and individuals to contribute to community health improvement. Within the report, 13 topic areas have been identified as “priority,” with Mental Health and Health Disorders, Injury and Violence Prevention and Access to Health Services in the top three spots.

 

“DC HP2020 is a community shared agenda that works to increase partnerships, share best practices and improve the effectiveness of our community efforts as it relates to population health,” said Dr. LaQuandra Nesbitt, Director, DOH. “It will be an important tool for stakeholders across multiple sectors, policymakers and individual residents to align work, share best practices and monitor population health outcomes over time. It will also allow us, as a community, to streamline and improve community services to better reach disproportionately affected populations.”

 

“Our DC Healthy People 2020 Report provides an exciting and unique framework that will allow us, over time, to collectively enhance the overall health and quality of life for DC residents,” said Mayor Muriel Bowser. “I applaud the leadership of the Department of Health on the release of a report that is based on best practices and community input. It displays the power of collaboration and how much can be accomplished when we work together.”

 

The framework was developed using the results-based accountability model and serves as a warehouse for population health data from a wide range of data sources. In the future, data will be visualized on an interactive website that will display data for each objective, including, where available, by ward, sex, race, ethnicity and/or age. 

 

The data included in the DC HP2020 were retrieved from a range of data sources such as the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS), hospital discharge data, vital records, DC Medicaid, US Census/American Community Survey, and from sister government agencies such as the Metropolitan Police Department, District of Columbia Health Care Finance and the Department of Behavioral Health. The recommended strategies included in the report were compiled from several city action plans (e.g., Sustainable DC, Age-Friendly DC, Vision Zero) and other sources and evaluated by stakeholders.

 

Over 30 agencies and organizations, including the DC Healthy Communities Collaborative and DC Primary Care Association, local universities, District of Columbia government agencies and community-based organizations, were represented in a year-long collaborative development process that also included input from the community through an online forum and surveys.

 

To learn more about DC HP2020, click here or email [email protected].