American Samoa § 13.0204 - Mission statement.

§ 13.0204. Mission statement.

(a) It is the policy of the department that the health of the public be protected and promoted to the greatest extent possible through the public health system while respecting individual rights to dignity, health information privacy, nondiscrimination, due process, and other legally protected interests. (b) The mission of the department is to provide leadership and protect and promote the public’s health by: (1) Assuring the conditions in which individuals can be healthy; (2) Providing or assuring the provision of essential public health services and functions that are culturally and linguistically appropriate for the Territory; (3) Encouraging collaboration among public and private sector partners in the public health system; and (4) Seeking to provide essential public health services and functions or accomplish public health goals. (c) The department shall seek to accomplish its mission of public health while respecting individual rights including: (1) Respect for the dignity of each individual; (2) Protection of health information privacy for each individual; (3) Provision of adequate due process as required by this act or other applicable laws of the Territory; and (4) Avoidance of explicit or implicit discrimination in an unlawful manner of individuals on the basis of their race, ethnicity, nationality, religious beliefs, sex, sexual orientation, or disability status.