The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA

Abstract #67132

Janis Burger, RD, MPH¹, Serena Clayton, PhD², Teddy Milder, PNP, PHN¹, and Jane Wellenkamp, PhD¹. (1) Every Child Counts, First Five Alameda County, 1850 Fairway Drive, San Leandro, CA 94577, 510-618-3456, jburger@co.alameda.ca.us, (2) Public Health Institute, 660 13th Street, Suite 202, Oakland, CA 94612

In 1998, California voters passed Proposition 10 that placed a $.50 tax on cigarettes to fund services for children 0 to 5 years and their families. Recognizing this unprecedented opportunity to reshape the service system and improve the health and well-being of young children and families, Alameda County was the first in the state to approve its strategic plan, Every Child Counts (ECC). ECC supports children and families in three environments: home - through home-based family support services; child care – by improving early care and education; and the community – by funding an innovative community grants initiative. One of the ECC’s goals is to create an integrated, coordinated system of care that maximizes existing resources. In its third year, ECC contracted with an outside organization to evaluate the impact of ECC on systems change and integration of services. Systems change strategies, lessons learned and results of this external evaluation will be presented. The evaluation included interviews, focus groups and a web-based survey to gather information from policymakers, county agency administrators, ECC staff, and community-based providers. Results indicate that ECC has achieved significant progress in: improving service quality through training and support for providers, improving coordination among county agencies and community providers, increasing availability of data and reducing paperwork through an integrated, web-based data system, and increasing resource leveraging. Key factors in achieving these successes include: emphasis on developing relationships among partners, expertise of ECC staff, leadership and vision at the highest level, and the ability to bring resources to the table.

Learning Objectives:

• At the conclusion of the session, the participant in this session will be able to:
• 1.Identify successful strategies for implementing an integrated systems change agenda across programs for young children and families
• 2.Describe the results attained by and lessons learned from this systems change initiative

Keywords: Evaluation, Maternal and Child Health

Related Web page: www.ackids.org

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: First Five Alameda County
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.