201835 Planning & Designing a 7 County Regional Health Plan (NY)

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

Elquemedo Oscar Alleyne, MPH , Epidemiology, Rockland County Department of Health, Pomona, NY
Peter S. Arno, PhD , School of Health Sciences & Practice, Department of Health Policy & Management, New York Medical College, Valhalla, NY
Deborah Viola, PhD , School of Public Health, New York Medical College, Valhalla, NY
We will present the framework for the planning and design of a regional assessment among a team of seven county health departments (Dutchess, Orange, Putnam, Rockland, Sullivan, Ulster, and Westchester) and health service researchers at the School of Public Health at New York Medical College. Our scope includes community health assessment, prioritization of needs and potential certificate of need recommendations. Priority areas are access to health care, chronic disease prevention and control and maternal child and family health, with a focus on health disparities, vulnerable populations and the alignment of health care resources with those needs.

To facilitate the identification and monitoring of regional priorities, a Regional Performance Monitoring Tool (RPMT) will be developed and used in the seven counties. The RPMT will be pilot-tested as the counties conduct their Community Health Assessment for 2010-2013. Respondents will be linked via a web-based portal. This will allow participant access to the RPMT, analysis and survey results, reports detailing strengths and deficiencies, links to various toolkits, sites and additional information that would facilitate planning efforts. The outcomes of this strategic planning project will identify cost-effective, community-based delivery models of care to improve regional outcomes with respect to exposure to specified risk factors associated with each priority. Suggestions will be made on how these models can be adapted by other regions, based on an alignment of regional resources and the design of a program evaluation strategy to assess and improve population health.

Learning Objectives:
Design a Regional Performance Monitoring Tool to identify and monitor regional priority areas and to secure community-level stakeholder input in all phases of the project planning. Identify the extent and pattern of regional public health partnerships to facilitate data collection and the implementation and evaluation of priority area recommendations by 2010. Design a web-based portal to facilitate planning, access to informational databases and toolkits that will inform decision making with respect to local and regional community health assessments. Analyze regionally collected epidemiological data to facilitate ongoing assessment and identification of priority areas through consensus building. Compare and conduct focus groups with key stakeholders to solicit feedback on the Regional Performance Monitoring process. Formulate a regional summit in April 2010 for public health representatives to identify cost-effective models of care to improve regional outcomes with respect to each priority area.

Keywords: Community Health Assessment, Community Health Planning

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: Conducted epidemiological surveys and analyses pertaining to the evidence of communicable and chronic diseases in Rockland County (RC). Developed and implemented policies and procedures for disease surveillance to identify populations at risk for disease. Investigated all disease outbreaks to determine cause and source and recommended methods to prevent the spread of disease. Maintained, compiled and reported statistical data concerning all diseases. Planned and maintained community-wide disease surveillance initiatives with special emphasis on schools, hospitals and health institutions. Advised the Community Health Status Indicator project Core Working Group and partners about user needs and priorities (types of indicators, mapping priorities, report customization, data methods etc.) as a member of the national advisory committee coordinated by the Public Health Foundation. Provided consultation, training and support to department divisions, other county agencies and the general public on statistics and data trends. Coordinated and chaired monthly meetings with local and regional public health professionals, hospitals, state and local health agencies for disease surveillance. Prepared the Rockland Community Health Assessment, Annual Performance Review and Municipal Public Health Services Plan and data sections for various grant applications. Member of the countywide advisory Public Health Priorities group. Routinely interacted with other Division Directors and the Commissioner of Health to discuss policies, procedures and practices within the RCDOH. Served on the Data Subcommittee for the Rockland CARES Integrated County Planning Project to produce the report “A Focus on Rockland’s Children, Youth & Families.”
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.