The following summarizes the directions set out by the DHPE Leadership in a planning meeting held in February 2004. This information was then reviewed by the President, Past-President and Executive Director to form the following components of the DHPE Strategic Plan.

Primary Goals for Year One:
1. Strengthen Membership Structure and Benefits
2. Strengthen and sustain the role of health promotion and education in state and national agencies.

Overarching Themes
1. To best support the practice of health promotion and education in State Health Agencies (SHA)
2. Increase the sphere of Influence for DHPE and SHA Health Promotion Units (practitioners)

Crosscutting Issue
Develop Systems for Continuous Quality Improvement
(multiple levels of accountability and evaluation,)

Key Components
1. Membership Structure and Benefits
2. Advocacy
3. Networking
4. Research/information
5. Technical Assistance
6. Trend Analysis
7. Disparities
8. Accountability

Themes
1. Strengthen services to members
2. Define and promote health promotion science and skills
3. Continue efforts in advocacy
4. Market health promotion and education practice
5. assure practice of health promotion and education at federal, state and local level
6. develop capacity for trend analysis

STRATEGIC ACTIVITIES

A. Strengthen Membership Structure, Benefits and Participation
1. Activate the membership committee and develop a membership plan
2. Assess DHPE organizational structure
3. Assess membership structure
4. Incorporate strategic directions from branding initiative and strategic planning focus groups
5. Develop and enhance systems for member communication
6. Designate membership coordinator from DHPE staff

B. Advocacy for Health Promotion
1. Invite State Health Officers to DHPE conference and have a special session for them
2. Have a special session at ASTHO meeting to invite SHO and/or Deputy Health Officers. Plenary panel to Health Promotion and Education featuring a SHO, DHPE President, and CDC representative (Ed Thompson?)
3. Explore a joint conference with DHPE and ASTHO.
4. Explore Awards for SHA leadership and State legislation (policy) to be given in conjunction with ASTHO and NCSL or CSL meeting. (ie state policy award, SHO/Deputy Award)

C. Advocacy for Health Promotion and Education within state and federal level
1. Develop and implement advocacy agenda for health promotion and education as a core function of public health within SHA.
2. Advocate for increased capacity for health promotion and education programs in SHA (adequate funding of infrastructure).
3. Advocate for standards that promote an adequate health promotion and education workforce (support state efforts to recruit and retain adequate and qualified health promotion and education workforce. Adopt and promote skill set.)
4. Orient SHO on effective health promotion (see Fred’s language)
5. Advocate for state and national health promotion and education policies and funding.

D. Expand and Strengthen Partnerships (networking)
1. Identify new strategic partners and a system of contacting them.
2. Promote and market DHPE as a valuable partner.
3. Strengthen our affiliate relationship with ASTHO
4. Strengthen and expand existing partnerships
5. Take an active role in health promotion and education coalitions, organizations and associations (APHA liaison, joint meetings, ODPHP…)
6. Explore potential partnerships with state level health promotion and education organizations and associations. (ie Delaware Health Education Network, state health education conferences, etc.)

E. Research and Information
1. Define and promote the science-base and skill set for public health practice of health promotion and education.
2. Develop and identify a research agenda (ie: with a focus on helping members do their jobs effectively)
3. Research the most effective or models of effective organizational structure for delivering health promotion and education within SHA.
4. Design a system to promote reporting of state-based research to the practice community.
5. Identify and market Best practices or promising practices ( ie best practices for health promotion and education in addition to risk factor specific areas.
6. Assess members to determine the number involved in diversity issues.

F. Technical Assistance/Training
1. Continue work with other groups to provide leadership training
2. Assess training and technical needs of members on a regular basis
3. Expand hi-tech opportunities for distance learning
4. Develop a plan to improve promotion of training opportunities
5. Facilitate member linkage for technical assistance and mentoring
6. Maintain national conference which addresses DHPE themes/goals

G. Trend Analysis
1. Identify Current Trends Impacting the practice of health promotion and education within SHA.
2. Develop monitoring systems to collect information to identify trends.
3. Monitor, translate and disseminate trend analysis to membership
4. Create mechanisms that use translated trend analysis to support the practice of health promotion and education

H. Promote Methods to Reduce Health Disparities within SHAs
1. Create training opportunities for existing workforce
2. Enhance future work force (internships)
3. Promote leadership training among diverse staff through PHELI and other programs
4. Disseminate promising and best practices
5. Incorporate the value of reducing health disparities into implementation of our strategic objectives
6. Partner with state minority health directors.