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South Dakota Department of Health
South Dakota Department of Health

About

SD DOH Strategic Plan

The South Dakota Department of Health is dedicated to keeping South Dakotans healthy and strong while providing them, healthcare providers, and administrators with the most up-to-date, health-related information and guidance to help them make the best decisions for themselves, their families, and their businesses.

The South Dakota Department of Health is based in Pierre, SD, but maintains a statewide presence.

View Strategic Plan   GOAC Performance Measures

Vision

Every South Dakotan Healthy and Strong

Mission

Working together to promote, protect, and improve health

Guiding Principles

  • Integrity. We serve with truthfulness, transparency, and accountability.
  • Data. We collect, analyze, and share information to impact positive outcomes.
  • Innovation. We encourage creative solutions to meet public health needs.
  • Connection. We foster and maintain trust-based relationships through respect, consistency, and open communication.
  • Wellness for All. We recognize disparities and address health factors to improve quality of life. 

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EXTERNAL Priority Areas and Aims

Aim: Connect people and resources for greater impact

  1. Create engagement opportunities to assess and monitor community health needs.
    1. Engage a diverse group of stakeholders in the completion of at least three health assessments by 12/01/2027.
    2. Participate in at least 20 external community engagement and outreach collaborations each year from 12/01/2025 through 12/01/2027.
  2. Develop community health champions to influence health systems and policy.
    1. Establish a health partner list to determine an engagement baseline by 12/01/2025.
    2. Provide at least three training opportunities to support Department of Health initiatives by 12/01/2027.
    3. Provide at least four stakeholder groups with priority health education and health policy information at least quarterly from 01/01/2025 through 12/01/2027.
  3. Improve health program utilization through increased awareness and partnership development.
    1. Increase the number of program partners by 15% from 01/01/2025 to 12/01/2027.
    2. Increase program utilization by 10% from 01/01/2025 to 12/01/2027.
    3. Implement at least five health awareness campaigns to emphasize key health priorities in high-risk and health disparity populations by 12/01/2027.
  4. Promote statewide Public Health Laboratory system development through enhanced communication and partnership building.
    1. Develop and implement a Laboratory System Improvement Plan by 12/01/2027.
    2. Engage at least five strategic State Public Health Laboratory partners by 12/01/2027.
  5. Establish interagency and health partner networks to promote responsible data sharing systems.
    1. Increase data access with at least seven key partners by 12/01/2027.
    2. Assess infectious disease data needs to inform local and tribal public health activities at least annually from 01/01/2025 through 12/01/2027.

Aim: Decrease preventable mortality and health disparity

  1. Improve early detection through routine screenings and early interventions (SHIP Care Quality Goal 01)
    1. Increase health screening and/or referral in at least four programs by 12/01/2027.
    2. Coordinate at least two improvement initiatives focused on health screening and/or referral by 12/01/2027.
  2. Increase healthy behaviors (SHIP Care Quality Goal 2)
    1. Improve at least four maternal and child health interventions by 12/01/2027.
    2. Coordinate at least two improvement initiatives to increase utilization of designated healthy behavior programs and services by 12/01/2027.
    3. Develop stroke patient care guidelines for emergency medical services in collaboration with Mission Lifeline: Stroke by 12/01/2027.
  3. Address social drivers of health in high-risk populations
    1. Reduce at least two priority health disparities by 12/01/2027.
    2. Implement at least five engagement initiatives to reduce the impact of social drivers in high-risk populations by 12/01/2027.
    3. Increase effectiveness of program outreach campaigns among high-risk populations by at least 10% by 12/01/2027.
  4. Improve the collection, utilization, and sharing of health data statewide (SHIP Access to Care Goal 5)
    1. Implement at least three data collection methods to identify health risk factors by 12/01/2027.
    2.  Utilize health data to expand, improve, or secure at least one DOH program or service by 12/01/2027.
    3. Share health data from at least four programs or services with health improvement partners by 12/01/2027.

Aim: Strengthen health care workforce capacity

  1. Improve care coordination by integrating health care support staff in communities and health care organizations
    1. Utilize data to identify at least three healthcare support integration priorities by 12/01/2027. 
    2. Increase the number of emergency medical services personnel in South Dakota by 6% by 12/01/2027.
  2. Enhance health care career pipelines through education and incentive programs
    1. Increase number of partners engaged in health care career camps from 24 to 30 by 12/01/2027.
    2. Implement three recommendations from the Rural Health Strategic Analysis from 01/01/2025 through 12/01/2025.

INTERNAL Priority Areas and Aims

Aim: Optimize technology infrastructure

  1. Establish a data modernization framework
    1. Implement an Information Technology Roadmap from 01/01/2025 through 12/01/2027.
    2. Develop a data governance policy for inclusion in the administrative policies and procedures manual by 12/01/2027.
  2. Enhance integrated systems to increase access to cross-division data
    1. Coordinate at least three data and use reviews by 12/01/2027. 
    2. Integrate data resources for at least four DOH programs by 12/1/2027.
  3. Elevate dashboard development and user-friendly interfaces to increase utilization
    1. Evaluate and implement online interfaces and platforms to streamline processes for at least three systems throughout the department by 12/01/2027.
    2. Develop and launch at least six data reports or dashboards for public utilization by 12/01/2027. 

Aim: Demonstrate program and service value

  1. Achieve Public Health Accreditation
    1. Complete required Public Health Accreditation Board application documents by 12/01/2025.
    2. Conduct at least one quality improvement initiative per division to measure and enhance an existing program or service by 12/01/2027.
    3. Implement quality/satisfaction processes in at least three divisions to collect feedback and identify areas for improvement by 12/01/2027.
  2. Develop leadership capacity for quality improvement and performance management.
    1. Provide at least three staff development learning opportunities by 12/01/2027.

Aim: Elevate proactive stewardship

  1. Enhance contract and proposal management systems
    1. Implement at least five fiscal management enhancements by 12/01/2027.
  2. Develop program and service value system
    1. Develop a financial sustainability plan for at least three programs by 12/01/2027.

Aim: Enhance the DOH workforce

  1. Implement a department-wide workforce development plan
    1. Increase the 0–5-year retention rate of Department of Health employees from 48% to 55% by 12/01/2027.
  2. Establish public health core competencies and training pathways
    1. Provide at least four internal training opportunities to increase core competency and program expertise by 12/01/2027.
  3. Enhance DOH career pipelines through education and incentive programs
    1. Increase job applications by 10% from 01/01/2025 through 12/01/2027.
    2. Collaborate with at least six academic institutions on public health workforce development initiatives by 12/01/2027.