About IDPH

Vision for Iowa

Healthy Iowans in Healthy Communities

Mission

Protecting and Improving the Health of Iowans

Vision for IDPH

Iowa's Leader for Population Health

Guiding Principles

ACCOUNTABILITY

We act with integrity and strive for fairness in all we do.

COLLABORATION/TEAMWORK

We value internal and external partnerships, and remain flexible to new and diverse ideas.

COMMUNICATION

We use timely, effective, and open dialogue to increase collaboration and participation in protecting and improving health.

HEALTH EQUITY

We promote health for all by working to reduce health disparities and focusing on health where people live, learn, work, and play.

QUALITY

We are dedicated to efficiency, effectiveness, and the continuous improvement of our processes and services.

RESULTS ORIENTED

We strive for excellence through decision-making that is priority-focused, data-driven, and evidence-based.

WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT

We continually work to develop the skills and competencies of our workforce.

What does Public Health do?

Public health is a partnership of local public health, IDPH, non-profit organizations, health care providers, policymakers, businesses and many others working together to protect and improve the health of Iowans. Public health strives to improve the quality of life for all Iowans by assuring access to evidence-based population-health programs, services and activities in the following areas:

• Promote healthy living;
• Prevent injuries and violence;
• Protect against environmental hazards;
• Assure access to quality health services;
• Prevent epidemics and the spread of disease;
• Improve and support public health performance; and
• Prepare for, respond to, and recover from emergencies.