August 2021, established by Executive Order 21-21 by Governor Eric J. Holcomb, the Governor's Public Health Commission was charged with studying the strengths and weaknesses of Indiana's existing public health system and making recommendations for improvement in the following focus areas: governance, infrastructure, and services; dedicated public health funding; public health workforce, data and information systems; emergency preparedness; and child and adolescent health.
Senate Enrolled Act 4, now named "Health First Indiana", is the state's initiative focusing on creating a set of core public health services, accessible, recurring, and dedicated funding, and defined measurements for success and progress with the goal of ensuring every Hoosier can achieve optimal health.
Health First St. Joseph County aims to transform public health through local partnerships to deliver core services at a county level. With many existing and thriving partnerships, the St. Joseph County Department of Health understands that to achieve the best outcomes for the core public health services, the community is best served when a well-developed plan is created utilizing internal SJCDoH programming combined with existing or new community partner programming, projects, and/or activities in several core service areas.