PEP Recognized as Healthy People 2030 Champion

by May 4, 2022Blog, Favorite

By Sophia DeLuca, PEP Blog Editor

Congratulations, PEP! This April 2022, the Period Education Project (PEP) was officially recognized as a Healthy People 2030 Champion. 

What is Healthy People 2030? 

Healthy People 2030 is the fifth iteration of an initiative first launched by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (ODPHP) in 1980.

Every 10 years, ODPHP sets a Healthy People agenda with measurable objectives to improve public health across the nation. 

For the 2030 agenda, Healthy People has 355 core objectives focused on improving health by concentrating on health conditions, behaviors, populations, settings and systems, and social determinants of health. 

While 355 core objectives may seem like a lot, Healthy People 2030 has one central vision: to work towards a society in which all people can achieve their full potential for health and well-being across their lifespans.

What Does it Mean to be a Healthy People Champion?

The Period Education Project was recognized as a Healthy People Champion because of our shared commitment to improving health outcomes and well-being, across the nation. PEP joins a community of other public and private sector organizations dedicated to achieving this mission.

As a Healthy People Champion, PEP will continue to provide essential menstrual health education that will improve the lives of girls and women, while increasing health literacy and working to eliminate health disparities. PEP will also utilize tools provided by Healthy People 2030 to promote the shared goals and mission throughout our network.

How does PEP’s work align with Healthy People 2030 Foundational Principles? 

The Period Education Project is a non-profit that provides free-menstrual health education for underserved youth, improving adolescent health AND women’s health through empowerment and increased knowledge. Not only does PEP strive for Healthy People 2030’s broad mission of improving health outcomes and well-being through our work every-day, but several of Healthy People 2030’s overarching goals specifically align PEP’s mission. 

  • Eliminate health disparities, achieve health equity, and attain health literacy to improve the health and well-being of all.

PEP’s work with youth is part of a larger push to eliminate health disparities and achieve health equity. By partnering with community organizations working with young people who may not have access to puberty education or information about menstrual health, PEP hopes to build health literacy and empower teens and young adults about their bodies and health. Educating all young people with this essential health care education can have a lasting impact on improving women’s health. 

  • Promote healthy development, healthy behaviors, and well-being across all life stages.

PEP provides adolescent girls with menstrual health education, but the impacts are not limited to this stage of life. When girls understand menstrual health, they are prepared to advocate for their own health and recognize troubling health conditions, leading to earlier treatment and better health outcomes throughout their lives. Early investment in girls’ health improves womens’ health down the line. 

  • Engage leadership, key constituents, and the public across multiple sectors to take action and design policies that improve the health and well-being of all.

PEP pairs passionate medical students with community organizations serving youth to provide essential menstrual health education. PEP also allows future health care providers to cultivate essential patient-skills that will serve them in their future practices. By engaging aspiring doctors in their communities, PEP encourages them to become stakeholders in the health of their community members and future patients.