The Florida Senate

381.734  Healthy Communities, Healthy People Program.--

(1)  The department shall develop and implement the Healthy Communities, Healthy People Program, a comprehensive and community-based health promotion and wellness program. The program shall be designed to reduce major behavioral risk factors associated with chronic diseases, including those chronic diseases identified in chapter 385, by enhancing the knowledge, skills, motivation, and opportunities for individuals, organizations, and communities to develop and maintain healthy lifestyles.

(2)  The department shall consolidate and use existing resources, programs, and program data to develop this program, to avoid duplication of efforts or services. Such resources, programs, and program data shall include the community intervention programs operated under s. 385.103.

(3)  The program shall include:

(a)  Statewide assessments of specific, causal, and behavioral risk factors that affect the health of residents of the state.

(b)  The development of community-based health promotion programs, incorporating health promotion and preventive care practices supported in scientific and medical literature.

(c)  The development and implementation of statewide age-specific, disease-specific, and community-specific health promotion and preventive care strategies using primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention interventions.

(d)  The promotion of community-based health-promotion model programs that meet specific criteria and address major risk factors in the state and motivate individuals to permanently adopt healthy behaviors, enhance self-esteem, and increase social and personal responsibilities.

(e)  The enhancement of the department's special initiatives to develop the mental, emotional, and social competencies of children and adolescents, using innovative school-based and neighborhood-based approaches to build self-esteem and prevent later problems such as drug abuse, poor school performance, criminal behavior, and other behavioral problems.

(f)  The development and implementation of a statewide health education program to educate the public and communities about health risks and assist them in modifying unhealthy behaviors.

(g)  The establishment of a comprehensive program to inform the public, health care professionals, and communities about the prevalence of chronic diseases in the state; known and potential risks, including social and behavioral risks; and behavior changes that would reduce risks.

(h)  The development and implementation of a program for enhancing self-help organizations and volunteer programs that enlist the support of volunteers in health promotion activities, particularly persons who serve as role models because of their public visibility or because of their recovery from or skill in coping with disease.

(i)  The development of policies that encourage the use of alternative community delivery sites for health promotion and preventive care programs and promote the use of neighborhood delivery sites that are close to work, home, and school.

(j)  An emphasis on the importance of a physically active lifestyle to build self-esteem, reduce morbidity and mortality associated with chronic disease, and reduce obesity.

History.--s. 109, ch. 92-33; s. 2, ch. 98-224; s. 9, ch. 2000-153; s. 13, ch. 2000-367.

Note.--Former s. 408.604.