Health objectives for the year 2000: the North Carolina challenge

Vi STUDIES A Special Report Series by THE STATE CENTER FOR HEALTH AND ENVIRONMENTAL STATISTICS P.O. Box 29538. Raleigh. N.C. 27626-0538 No. 77 November 1993 HEALTH OBJECTIVES FOR THE YEAR 2000: THE NORTH CAROLINA CHALLENGE BACKGROUND by Kathryn B. Surles N.C. DOCUMENTS CLEARINGHOUSE FES 7 1994 iv v>. STATE LIBRARY RALEIGH The beginning of the 21st century beckons with both challenge and opportunity for the improved health of all Americans. The report, Healthy People 2000: National Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Objectives, 1 sets out a national agenda for the 1 0 years leading up to 2000. It follows a similar agenda published for the 1980s.2 Involving professionals, other citizens, private organizations and public agencies from every part of the country, Healthy People 2000 offers a vision for the new century. This vision is characterized by significant reductions in preventable death and disability, enhanced quality of life, and greatly reduced disparities in the health status of populations within our society. Those goals are addressed through the declaration of several hundred health objectives covering 2 1 areas of pregnancy, death, disease, preventive interventions, and health- related behaviors. Meanwhile, keenly aware of North Carolina’s unfavorable ranking on many of the national health status indicators, Governor James G. Martin established in August 1991 the Governor’s Task Force on Health Objectives for the Year 2000. The deliberations of this 25-member body resulted in the November 1992 publication of objectives addressing 1 1 broad areas of concern: injury; infant death; immunization; dental decay; physical fitness; nutrition; sexually transmitted diseases; abuse of tobacco, alcohol, and other drugs; mental health; chronic diseases, and environmental pollution.3 The report of the Task Force identifies special target populations and emphasizes community-based intervention strategies. To date, leaders in 43 of the state’s 100 counties have plans to develop responsive health improvement plans for their communities; and 13 counties already have active Healthy Carolinians 2000 task forces. NORTH CAROLINA DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENT. HEALTH. AND NATURAL RESOURCES L3bHNR