As the state health authority, the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) is responsible for carrying out its mission to promote health and safety through prevention, collaboration, education, innovation, and response. Establishing large-scale health plans provides a structure and a roadmap to healthier and safer citizens, ensuring a path towards achieving the DHSS vision of optimal health and safety for all Missourians, in all communities, for life.

The following plans reflect a tremendous amount of collaborative work with partners across many disciplines from health care, public health, mental health, community action organizations, and peer state agencies. DHSS is deeply appreciative of the knowledge, expertise, and enthusiasm shared by its partners during the development of these plans.

State Health Assessment

State Health Assessment

The Missouri State Health Assessment (SHA) provides an overview of the current health status of the state, focusing on health risks and outcomes, as well as resources, programs and services available to improve the health of Missourians. This assessment is meant to empower community partners, local public health agencies, individuals and other groups to make decisions and positive changes for the health of the state’s citizens. While the SHA characterizes the health of Missouri, it also conveys the experiences and aspirations of people across the state who are striving for better health outcomes for themselves, their families and their neighbors.

DHSS and its stakeholders worked exhaustively to research and analyze health data to create the State Health Assessment, published in 2023. This data-driven approach combines quantitative analysis of primary data sources with an extensive analysis of qualitative data collected during 19 listening sessions held throughout 2023.

DHSS and the University of Missouri partnered to hold these listening sessions in 19 communities across Missouri, intentionally targeting a representative sample reflecting the diverse population of Missourians, both demographically and geographically.

Combining the qualitative and quantitative analyses provides a more complete assessment of the current state of the health of Missourians. This invaluable analysis forms the basis of future planning efforts to improve the health and safety of Missouri, most notably reflected in the State Health Improvement Plan (SHIP).

State Health Improvement Plan

State Health Improvement Plan

The Missouri State Health Improvement Plan (SHIP) is a five-year systematic plan designed to address issues identified in the SHA. Based on the SHA, the SHIP describes how the state health department, stakeholders, and the communities served can work together to improve the health of the population, signaling opportunities for partnership within state public health systems.

As part of the process, and to ensure that a diverse set of stakeholder voices were heard, a group of local public health agencies, academic institutions, non-profits and other state agencies was assembled. This State Health Partner Group (SHPG) offered their time and expertise through several assessments, surveys, conversations and digital meetings to develop the SHIP. Another group of stakeholders was assembled in 2023 to review and revise the SHIP to better align the plan with shifting public health needs and priorities.

The SHPG organized issues identified in the SHA into six SHIP priority issues and assembled teams around each theme. The strategic priority issues identified represent areas that require concerted focus and energy from every level of the public health system. These are large-scale concerns that affect the State of Missouri as a whole. These SHIP priority issues force the public health system to innovate and integrate collaborative action steps from partners at the state and local levels.

DHSS Strategic Plan

State Health Plan

The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services took the opportunity to develop a new strategic plan as part of a renewed focus on transformational initiatives. That effort is designed to fortify the public health system in Missouri. With the impact on our citizens in mind, DHSS set out to redefine our vision, mission, values and strategic priorities.

We recognize the importance of strategic planning as a crucial component of a healthy organization. This five-year plan provides a foundation for our team members to understand the direction DHSS is heading, how we will get there, and how we will measure our progress.

We are committed to the pursuit of initiatives that place Missouri at the cutting edge of innovation in public health practice. Adopting industry-wide best practices, striving to achieve a higher quality of services, and pursuing reaccreditation under the Public Health Accreditation Board’s 2022 standards and measures all drive progress towards our vision of optimal health and safety for all Missourians, in all communities, for life.

This five-year strategic plan outlines the activities we will conduct to achieve our mission to promote health and safety through prevention, collaboration, education, innovation and response. The scope of this strategic plan focuses on the work that we do as an organization to realize our vision and mission. Community health plans like the Master Plan on Aging and the State Health Improvement Plan are important and include many activities and initiatives involving external partners that stretch beyond the bounds of our team.

Missouri State Plan on Aging

Missouri  State Plan on Aging

The Missouri State Plan on Aging is a four-year plan that provides a framework for the state to design and coordinate activities related to the needs of aging Missourians. It was created in accordance with guidance from the Administration for Community Living (ACL); the Older Americans Act (OAA); and input from aging Missourians, caregivers, and stakeholders. The Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) received input through a combination of surveys that addressed the needs of aging Missourians and caregivers, in-person listening sessions, informational webinars, and regional needs assessments. The overarching goal of the State Plan on Aging is that all Missourians can age safely, in a way that promotes health and dignity, in the setting of their choice. Over the next four years, DHSS and other stakeholders will work toward achieving the overarching goal of Missouri’s State Plan on Aging.

Missouri Alzheimer’s Report and Recommendations

Missouri  Alzheimer’s Report and Recommendations cover page

The Missouri Alzheimer’s Report and Recommendations is a state plan developed to address and respond to the escalating public health crisis regarding Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias. The 101st General Assembly commissioned the Missouri Alzheimer’s State Plan Task Force, comprised of members of state government, health care professionals, family caregivers, persons with dementia, and other stakeholders. They assessed existing services and resources, examined the current and future impact of dementia on Missourians, and gathered feedback from citizens through a series of town hall meetings. After several months of intensive work, the task force developed a report containing a series of recommendations for the state of Missouri to address and respond to the needs of its constituents. The recommendations focus on four main areas:

  • Advance Risk Reduction, Early Detection, and Timely Diagnosis
  • Increase Access to Care, Support, and Treatment
  • Improve Quality of Care
  • Ensure a Coordinated Statewide Response

Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP) State Plan

Senior  Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP) State Plan cover page

The Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP) State Plan is a four-year strategic plan that assists eligible individuals 55 years and older in developing and expanding current job skills through training and supportive services to achieve employment. The state plan outlines the collaborative efforts of state and national grantees and stakeholders in the employment and aging sectors to ensure that older adults have the skills necessary to remain employed as long as they wish. SCSEP is enacted in Section V of the Older Americans Act and is administered by the Department of Health and Senior Services through funding from the United States Department of Labor.

Rural Health in Missouri Biennial Report 2022-2023

Rural Health in Missouri Biennial Report 2022-2023

The The 2022-2023 Health in Rural Missouri Biennial Report describes the health disparities rural Missourians experience, as compared to urban Missourians. The report compares the rural and urban health-related and social determinants of health (SDOH) disparities, including demographic differences, population changes, difficulties in increasing healthy behaviors, health outcomes, health care access, health conditions, and maternal and child health.

Missouri Tobacco Prevention and Control Strategic Plan 2022-2026

Missouri Tobacco Prevention and Control Strategic Plan 2022-2026

The Missouri Tobacco Prevention and Control Strategic Plan 2022-2026 is a product of the collective thinking and vision of numerous state and local tobacco control partners working in a unified effort to reduce the impact of tobacco use in Missouri. The strategic plan identifies the priority populations, people using tobacco at the highest rate in Missouri, and measurable objectives to achieve by 2026.