Local public health performance standards assessment: Moving your community from perception to reality


Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

3093.0: Monday, December 12, 2005 - 10:30 AM

Abstract #101296

Local public health performance standards assessment: Moving your community from perception to reality

Stephanie R. Paulmeno, MS, RN, C NHA, Community Health Planning Division, Greenwich Department of Health, 101 Field Point Road, Greenwich, CT 06830, (203) 622-7849, spaulmeno@greenwichct.org

To date only eight states and 380 local jurisdictions have completed the CDC's National Public Health Performance Standards Program (NPHPSP); a process that allows a LHD to measure the performance of the community's public health system against the 10 Essential Services of Public Health. This likely reflects the arduous complexity involved in completing the NPHPSP, as the process involves planning for the completion of a lengthy assessment by numerous, community service organizations, evaluating and interpreting the data, compiling a summary report of the conclusions, and developing a strategic plan to address the identified challenges.

The Community Health Planning Office of the Greenwich Department of Health recently assembled 28 individuals from 14 separate community service organizations to complete the NPHPSP. The result of this provocative and challenging process was considered a public health planning accomplishment for the following reasons:

1) preparation strategies and pre-conference worksheets served to educate the collaborators on the full public health system components in Greenwich

2) accomplishments and service gaps were jointly identified

3) varying perspectives on success vs. a need for improvement were debated by people at different practice and authority levels.

Advanced preparation strategies allowed this process to be comprehensive and meaningful, and able to be planned and fully executed on two weeks notice. Many of the concepts developed were not included in the training manual, and can be easily replicated to encourage a broader national participation in this valuable process.

Learning Objectives:

Purpose

Participation in the Public Health Performance Standards Assessment would benefit every community across the country; however, it can seem an arduous undertaking. Advanced preparation strategies used in Greenwich, Connecticut allowed the process to be comprehensive and meaningful, and able to be planned and fully executed on two weeks notice. Many of the concepts and tools developed in preparation for multi-agency use on assessment day were not included in the training manual, and can be easily replicated by other communities to encourage a broader national participation in this valuable process. The results were subsequently used in a report to the community, incorporated into a strategic plan, and supported an outcome-based budget design for the Department of Health’s Office of Community Health Planning.
Upon completion of this presentation attendees will be able to
- 2. Describe at least two time saving mechanisms for organizing and preparing their community for the assessment process.
  5. Develop customized charts and posters for use during the assessment process that depicts their public health system’s agencies’ contributions to the public health of their community.
  8. Design customized Essential Public Health Services worksheets that will facilitate participants’ advanced awareness of their community’s services in preparation for the assessment day.
  11. Describe at least two time saving approaches for managing specific assessment areas without compromising the integrity of the process.
  14. Discuss at least two ways to maximize community support of, and input into the assessment process.
  17. Articulate two formats for providing community feedback on the assessment findings and plan of action to address opportunities for improvement.
  20. Explain the value of using the assessment findings to support outcome-based budgeting goals.
Keywords: Community Health Assessment, Community Health Planning
Related Web page: www.greenwichct.org
Presenting author's disclosure statement:

I wish to disclose that I have NO financial interests or other relationship with the manufactures of commercial products, suppliers of commercial services or commercial supporters.

Recorded presentation

Methodological Techniques and Tools Utilized in Health Care Planning, Policy Development and Evaluation-II
The 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition (December 10-14, 2005) of APHA