The Department of Health and Mental Hygiene

Measures
Maryland’s State Health Improvement Plan (SHIP) provides a framework for continual progress toward a healthier Maryland. The SHIP includes 39 measures in six focus areas that represent what it means for Maryland to be healthy.

Each measure has a data source and a target, and where possible, can be assessed at the county level. Detailed information is provided for each objective organized by Vision Areas in links below.

To learn more about each measure, click on the respective objective.

For printer-friendly version, click HERE

Vision Area	SHIP Objectives	SHIP Issue Briefs
	1.   Increase life expectancy
Healthy Babies	2.   Reduce infant deaths
	3.   Reduce low birth weight (LBW) & very low birth weight (VLBW)
	4.   Reduce sudden unexpected infant deaths (SUIDs)
	5.    Increase the proportion of pregnancies that are intended
	6.    Increase the proportion of pregnant women starting prenatal care  in the  first  trimester
Healthy Social Environments	7.    Reduce child maltreatment
	8.    Reduce the suicide rate
	9.    Decrease the rate of alcohol-impaired driving fatalities
	10.   Increase the proportion of students who enter kindergarten ready to learn
	11.   Increase the proportion of students who graduate high school
	12.   Reduce  domestic violence
Safe Physical Environments	13.    Reduce blood lead levels in children
	14.   Decrease fall-related deaths
	15.    Reduce pedestrian injuries on public roads
	16.    Reduce Salmonella infections transmitted through food
	17.    Reduce hospital emergency department visits from asthma
	18.    Increase access to healthy food
	19.   Reduce the number of days the Air Quality Index (AQI) exceeds 100
Infectious Disease	20.     Reduce new HIV infections among adults and adolescents
	21.    Reduce Chlamydia trachomatis infections among young people
	22.   Increase treatment completion rate among tuberculosis patients
	23.   Increase vaccination coverage for recommended vaccines among young children
	24.   Increase the percentage of people vaccinated annually against seasonal  influenza
Chronic Disease	25.   Reduce deaths from heart disease
	26.   Reduce the overall cancer death rate
	27.   Reduce diabetes-related emergency department visits
	28.   Reduce hypertension-related emergency department visits
	29.    Reduce drug-induced deaths
	30.    Increase the proportion of adults who are at a healthy weight
	31.   Reduce the proportion of children and adolescents who are considered obese
	32.   Reduce the proportion of adults who are current smokers
	33.   Reduce the proportion of youths who use any kind of tobacco product
	34.   Reduce the number of emergency department visits related to behavioral health conditions
	35.   Reduce the proportion of hospitalizations related to Alzheimer's disease and other dementias	Alzheimer's Issue Brief
Healthcare Access	36.    Increase the proportion of persons with health insurance
	37.    Increase the proportion of adolescents who have an annual wellness checkup
	38.   Increase the proportion of children and adolescents who receive dental care
	39.    Reduce the proportion of individuals who are unable to afford to see a doctor