4: Participation and Collaboration Other Information:
The term “Open Government” may at first conjure up the image of improved communication and transparency. Indeed, as outlined
above, our Open Government work will look toward achieving new levels for those goals: more effectively communicating factual
and helpful information to Americans; moving to make the Department’s unique data resources more easily available; and putting
new emphasis on transparency and “sunshine” in our information and decision-making processes. But to have maximum positive
impact, the goal of Open Government must also look beyond these traditional areas. Building on a foundation of open information,
we will also seek to take Open Government to the next level – expanding opportunities for public participation and collaboration
in HHS activities, especially by engaging new information and communications technologies. Our Open Government work will break
new ground in enabling the public to give feedback to HHS programs. We can help stakeholders contribute knowledge and experience
that will help us do our jobs better, and we can support new kinds of collaborative teamwork that will deliver better results
for our citizens. We will move forward toward new strategies, new tools and indeed a new culture of public participation and
collaboration in HHS affairs. In truth, HHS is a department built on the idea of collaboration. Hundreds of health and social
service programs are brought together in this department with the goal of achieving synergistic progress across programmatic
lines, especially toward the goal of serving Americans in need. Most of our divisions oversee programs that involve collaboration
and partnership with the states and counties that actually administer our programs “on the street.” Much of our work is carried
out through grant and contract programs in which we and our partners collaborate with local organizations. For example: •
In protecting the public health, the work of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration
could not be carried out except as a complex network of state, local and professional resources. • In conducting the world’s
largest biomedical research enterprise, the great majority of research sponsored by the National Institutes of Health is for
extramural research conducted throughout our country. These research programs are guided by policies developed with the advice
of non-federal professionals and health advocacy organizations. • In managing the nation’s largest health insurance programs,
our Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services are the de facto meeting and negotiating ground for every element of our nation’s
health care system. And in delivering health coverage to millions of Americans, the success of these programs success depends
on fostering two-way communications. • In protecting our children, the programs of the Administration for Children and Families
rely on collaboration with other federal departments, states, law enforcement agencies and volunteer organizations. The success
of the Head Start program derives strongly from its collaborative nature. It was conceived as a collaboration, not only with
the community organizations that run Head Start centers, but more importantly with Head Start parents themselves, who are
integral to the program’s management and operations at the ground level. • To reduce the impact of substance abuse and mental
illness on America’s communities, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) works closely with
60 states, tribes, and countless local communities in the development of their behavioral systems through strategic block
grant investments, technical assistance, data collection, evaluation activities, and special safety net programs. • In supporting
health care providers and programs to improve access to quality and culturally competent health care services for people who
are uninsured, isolated, and medically vulnerable, the work of the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) is
accomplished with continual engagement with the populations it serves. Thus, as HHS looks toward new horizons of participation
and collaboration, we have a strong foundation on which to build. But we are also at an inflection point, where new progress
is both needed and feasible. On the one hand, program complexity has grown, and the links across programs that were envisioned
in the creation of HHS need to be renewed and revived. At the same time, information and communications technologies offer
new tools and opportunities to support new kinds of participation and collaboration. New tools and new policies will enable
us not only to rejuvenate the important areas of participation and collaboration that already exist, but also to achieve a
new level of Open Government. We can better support our own employees in team-building and innovation. We can forge stronger
and more supple ties with our traditional partners, both in and out of government. And we can provide new opportunities for
every citizen to contribute toward better performance by our department as well as improved health and well-being for our
fellow citizens.
Objective(s):
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