The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA

Abstract #50164

William C. Livingood, PhD, Division of Health, Policy & Evaluation Research, Duval County Health Department - University of Florida, 515 W 6th Street, Jacksonville, FL 32206, 904 665 2339, William_Livingood@doh.state.fl.us, Jeff Goldhagen, MD, MPH, Duval County Health Department, University of Florida, Duval County Health Department, 515 W 6th St, Jacksonville, FL 32206, Thomas Bryant III, MSW, Division of Health Policy & Evaluation Research, Duval County Health Department, 515 W 6th Street, Jacksonville, FL 32206, and Amy Daily, MPH, Division of Health, Policy & Evaluation Research, Duval County Health Department, 515 W 6th Street, Jacksonville, FL 32206.

The Duval County Health Department created a Division of Health, Policy and Evaluation Research to serve as the Center for community assessment, evaluation and research. The new Division is staffed by senior researchers with academic credentials and is built on contractual relationships with a College of Medicine and a MPH program, incorporating the rigors of science and scholarship associated with academic institutions. However, The Division was established to facilitate health assessment, evaluation and research based on the local Health Department's primary responsibility for community development and well-being, rather than academic imperatives associated with scholarship, external funding and faculty interest. The Local Health Department has the pivotal role for research within the community with most staff employed by the Local Health Department. The local health department's access to health statistics and surveillance systems enhances the assessment, evaluation and research capacity. The benefits of a Local Health Department taking a primary lead role as a research center are Community ownership, greater sensitivity to community and greater access to the increased funding of health related research to address community priorities. Services provided by this Division as a catalyst for external research within the local Health Department and as an overall resource to the community are discussed with in the context of serving as a Center for Health Statistics, a Center for Program Evaluation, a Center for Community Health Research and a Center for Policy Research. The infrastructure supporting these functions will also be discussed.

Learning Objectives:

• Recognize the potential for local health departments to serve as a center for community health assessment evaluation and research.
• Identify key functions that a Local Health Department can perform related to assessment, evlauation and community based research.

Keywords: Community Health Assessment, Community Research

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I have a significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.
Relationship: Employment