Promoting Healthier Communities Through the Delaware State Health Improvement Plan

Abstract

The Delaware State Health Improvement Plan (SHIP) is a statewide, multi-year strategic plan that aims to address Delaware’s most pressing health issues. The SHIP, in its fourth year of a five-year action plan, is led through a collaboration involving the Delaware Division of Public Health (DPH), the University of Delaware (UD) Department of Epidemiology, and the UD Partnership for Healthy Communities (PHC), which together form the SHIP internal team. The purpose of the SHIP is to outline objectives and strategies for implementation across five health priorities identified through a State Health Assessment (SHA): mental health, chronic disease, maternal and infant health, avoidable injury, and premature death. Since the SHIP's publication in April 2025, the SHIP internal team has worked with the SHIP Partnership Coalition to actively implement the plan and refine its strategies. This commentary highlights the SHIP's objectives and the progress made toward them.