A Database of Measurable Improvements in Public Health

Use of quality improvement (QI) processes has gained a great deal of traction in the public health field as local health departments (LHDs) across the country are becoming more engaged in QI activity and working toward accreditation. To showcase this work to the rest of the practice community and encourage peer exchange of information, NACCHO has developed a database of examples of measurable improvements resulting from implementation of QI processes in LHDs. The database is searchable by state, topic area or QI tools and techniques.  

To showcase your agency's QI efforts, visit the "Submit your Story" page and share your information. To be considered for inclusion in the database, efforts must meet the following criteria:

• Baseline data are available
• An intervention was fully implemented
• Data were collected to test the intervention
• QI effort ultimately resulted in a measurable improvement
• Formal QI framework was used (e.g. PDCA, Lean, etc.)

To search the database and learn more about how LHDs around the country are implementing QI and improving practice, visit NACCHO's Stories of Measurable Improvement in Public Health. Please contact Pooja Verma at (202) 507-4206 or pverma@naccho.org with questions.

Upcoming Webinar: The Legal and Political Implications of Public Health Agency Accreditation  

This fall, the Public Health Accreditation Board (PHAB) will launch its national voluntary public health accreditation program. A recently-published report from the North Carolina Institute for Public Health, entitled Legal Frameworks Supporting Public Health Department Accreditation: Key Findings and Lessons Learned from Ten States, and its Executive Summary, present the research findings and legal lessons learned from ten diverse states in preparation for a national voluntary accreditation program. An upcoming webinar in the Public Health Law Webinar Series will provide insight for public health practitioners, their legal counsels and elected officials into the legal and political implications of the program. Three national experts will discuss how accreditation can identify the potential changes underway in health department legal structures, provide observations on the current activities of PHAB, lessons from recent research on the various state legal structures, and a state experience of establishing a voluntarily quality improvement program and shared service delivery in a home rule state legal environment. This program will take place on Thursday, August 18th at 1:00PM ET. Registration is free, but will close on Tuesday, August 16th. Click here for more information and to register. For additional information please contact the American Society of Law, Medicine, & Ethics at 617-262-4990 or kjohnson@aslme.org.  

 New Website Resource: Community Health Assessment and Health Reform  

In order to apply for PHAB's voluntary national accreditation program, LHDs must submit three prerequisites: a community health assessment (CHA), a community health improvement plan (CHIP), and an agency strategic plan. Provisions of the Affordable Care Act require each non-profit hospital facility in the United States to conduct a community health needs assessment (CHNA) and adopt an implementation strategy to meet identified community health needs. In conducting the CHNA, non-profit hospitals are required to take into account input from persons who represent the broad interests of the community served, including those with special knowledge of or expertise in public health. 

NACCHO is committed to helping LHDs strategically align their community health assessment efforts with other assessment initiatives such as those of non-profit hospitals. A recently-developed website provides information to help LHDs and non-profit hospitals conduct collaborative community health assessment and improvement processes. This website also contains a link to a recent webinar archive highlighting best practices for community health needs assessments. For additional information, contact Kaitlin McCabe at kmccabe@naccho.org.  

Upcoming Meeting: ACHI National Conference   

The Association for Community Health Improvement will host its 2012 National Conference in March 2012 in Denver, Colorado. The theme of the conference is Elevating Community Health Practice, and tracks include "Community Health Needs Assessment and Strategy" as well as "Community Benefit Program Practices." The call for session proposals is open until September 9th, 2011. LHDs working with hospitals on community health assessments and/or improvement plans, two of PHAB's three prerequisites, can submit proposal abstracts and learn more about the conference by clicking here. For more information, contact communityhlth@aha.org.   

Quality Improvement Certificate at the University of Minnesota  

Domain 9 of the Public Health Accreditation Board (PHAB) standards relates to quality improvement (QI) activity in LHDs. The University of Minnesota School Of Public Health offers an online certificate program intended specifically for health departments to be fully competent in meeting and exceeding the requirements for Domain 9. The program is designed for working professionals in public health QI. This 12-credit certificate can be completed part-time in five terms, and the program offers students the opportunity to lead a QI effort at their own organization. For more information visit www.sph.umn.edu/programs/certificate or contact Carmen Parrotta at parro015@umn.edu or 612-626-2738.