- Mission Statement
- Organizational Structure
- Strategic Plan Development
- Strategic Goals, Objectives, and Strategies
- Stakeholder Engagement
Mission Statement
The mission of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is to enhance the health and well-being of Americans, by providing for effective health and human services and by fostering sound, sustained advances in the sciences underlying medicine, public health, and social services.
Organizational Structure
HHS accomplishes its mission through programs and initiatives that cover a wide spectrum of activities. Eleven operating divisions, including eight agencies in the U.S. Public Health Service and three human services agencies, administer HHS’s programs. While HHS is a domestic agency working to protect and promote the health and well-being of the American people, the interconnectedness of our world requires that HHS engage globally to fulfill its mission. In addition, staff divisions provide leadership, direction, and policy guidance to the Department.
Appendix A includes a public link to the organizational chart for HHS. Appendix B includes a public link to brief descriptions of the functions of all of HHS’s operating and staff divisions (OpDivs and StaffDivs), which also link to the divisions' websites for additional information.
Strategic Plan Development
Every four years, HHS updates its strategic plan, which describes its work to address complex, multifaceted, and evolving health and human services issues. An agency strategic plan is one of three main elements required by the Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA) of 1993 (P.L. 103-62) and the GPRA Modernization Act of 2010 (P.L. 111-352). An agency strategic plan defines its mission, goals, objectives, and how it will measure its progress in addressing specific national problems over a four-year period.
All OpDivs and StaffDivs within HHS contributed to the development of this draft of the HHS Strategic Plan FY 2022 – 2026 (Strategic Plan), as reflected in its strategic goals, objectives, and strategies.
Strategic Goals, Objectives, and Strategies
This Strategic Plan describes HHS’s efforts within the context of five broad strategic goals:
- Strategic Goal 1: Protect and Strengthen Equitable Access to High Quality and Affordable Healthcare
- Strategic Goal 2: Safeguard and Improve National and Global Health Conditions and Outcomes
- Strategic Goal 3: Strengthen Social Well-being, Equity, and Economic Resilience
- Strategic Goal 4: Restore Trust and Accelerate Advancements in Science and Research for All
- Strategic Goal 5: Advance Strategic Management to Build Trust, Transparency, and Accountability
The strategic goals and associated objectives focus on the major functions of HHS. High-level strategies for accomplishing HHS’s goals are presented within each objective. Although the strategic goals and objectives presented in the Strategic Plan are separate sections, they are interrelated, and successful achievement of one strategic goal or objective can influence the success of others. Multiple divisions within HHS often contribute to successful achievement of a strategic goal or objective; divisions that make these contributions to strategic goals and objectives are listed within the appropriate sections of the Strategic Plan.
The strategies presented are not intended to be an exhaustive list, but a select set of high-level strategies that are intended to lead to positive outcomes in each area.
The strategic goals, objectives, and strategies align with Administration priorities and terminology identified in Executive Orders, White House Action Plans, Directives, and Memoranda.
In the context of HHS, this Strategic Plan adopts the definition of underserved populations listed in Executive Order 13985: Advancing Racial Equity and Support for Underserved Communities through the Federal Government to refer to “populations sharing a particular characteristic, as well as geographic communities, who have been systematically denied a full opportunity to participate in aspects of economic, social, and civic life”; this definition includes individuals who belong to underserved communities that have been denied such treatment, such as Black, Latino, and Indigenous and Native American persons, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders and other persons of color; members of religious minorities; lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) persons; persons with disabilities; persons who live in rural areas; and persons otherwise adversely affected by persistent poverty or inequality. Individuals may belong to more than one underserved community and face intersecting barriers.
Stakeholder Engagement
Under the GPRA Modernization Act, federal agencies are required to consult with Congress and tribes, and to solicit and consider the views of external parties. HHS will update this section to reflect input received from public, tribal, and congressional consultation conducted in the fall of 2021.
