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APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Rita Noonan, PhD, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control / Division of Violence Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 4770 Buford Highway NE, Mailstop K-60, Atlanta, GA 30341, 770 488-1532, rgn5@cdc.gov and Lakeesha Smith, MPH, Division of Violence Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 4770 Buford Highway NE, Mailstop K-60, Atlanta, GA 30341.

Planning is a culturally approved and intuitively beneficial process, but there is little empirical evidence suggesting that planning produces the desired outcomes. Addressing this research gap is particularly important as nearly all organizations -- irrespective of mission, context, resources, and skill -- are urged to adopt management trends from the corporate sector, such as strategic planning. More specifically, we know very little about how strategies designed in the for-profit sector translate into the experience of state-level organizations.

This study analyzes interview data with 17 state health department managers who were asked to create state-wide coalitions, engage in a planning process, and create an action plan to prevent violence against women. Findings suggest that even a funding mandate to create tangible products from planning, such as a set of action steps, may not generate the intended outcomes. Nearly half of the state health departments did not produce a set of action steps, the main expected outcome from the process. The process of planning, however, does appear to generate notable unintended benefits for the state health departments interviewed. Definitions of planning “success,” therefore, should be modified to include health and social service outcomes of interest. Discussion addresses the lessons learned for: (a) translating business strategies, such as strategic planning, into state-level organizations; and (b) conceptualizing benefits of planning that relate to public health specifically.

Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of the session, the participant in this session will be able to

• List challenges that state agencies face when engaging in strategic planning.
• Articulate the costs and benefits of planning in various settings.
• Understand key considerations for funding agencies and state-level managers who may wish to include planning processes in their work.

Keywords: Violence Prevention, Community Health Planning

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Not Answered