Mission Statement
The mission of the Department of Health is to protect and improve the health and environment for all people in Hawai‘i .
Philosophy
Health, that optimal state of physical, mental, social and environmental well-being, is a right and responsibility of all of Hawaii’s people.
Goals
- Promote health and well-being
- Prevent disease and injury
- Promote healthy lifestyles and workplaces
- Promote the strength and integrity of families and communities
To prevent pollution and promote and preserve a clean, healthy and natural environment
- Promote resource conservation (recycling)
- Protect and enhance air and water quality
To assure basic physical and mental health care (the five A’s)
- Affordable
- Appropriate
- Assured quality
- Available
- Accessible
Guiding Principles
- Ensure that core public health functions – assessment, policy, and assurance – are implemented or maintained.
- Ensure that federal mandates, including court-ordered settlements are satisfied.
- Ensure that resources are directed at those problems that pose the greatest risk to the public’s health and the environment.
- Ensure that appropriate and cost-effective resources are dispersed geographically and satisfy principles 1 to 3.
- Ensure that the health department is the service provider of last resort for uninsurable populations and where there is no other satisfactory alternative.