 | The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA |
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| The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA |
Kathye Gorosh, MBA, Executive Director, The CORE Foundation, 2020 W. Harrison, Chicago, IL 60612, 312-572-4765, kgorosh@corecenter.org and Linda Lesondak, PhD, Director of Evaluation, Chicago Department of Public Health, 330 S. State Street, Room 200, Chicago, IL 60604.
Formal evaluation of public health programs and services has increased in the past decade. As we move towards outcome data in federal reports for HRSA and CDC, the implementation of evaluation into the development of programs and services is necessary for accurate reporting and future program development. A large urban health department developed a needs assessment tool to assess the level of individual agencies capacity to implement and conduct program evaluation to comply with reporting of HHS CARE Act Data Reports (CADR) and Evaluation Guidance for CDC-Funded Health Department HIV Prevention Programs. The health department’s Evaluation Unit in collaboration with the community member driven planning bodies, the Ryan White Title I Planning Council and the HIV Prevention Planning Group, developed the Evaluation Capacity Assessment Tool [ECAT]. This tool was sent to all city funded HIV agencies to assess their current evaluation capacity. Current programs were assessed so technical assistance and training could be matched to the agencies needs and therefore improve evaluation efforts. This enhancement will enable agencies to better serve clients with appropriate programs and services for targeted populations. In addition, evaluation information will allow agencies to explore additional funding sources and grant opportunities for program expansion.
The development, implementation and results of the ECAT will be presented. Finally, the implications for assessing evaluation capacity and offering technical assistance to overcome barriers for more effective reporting will be presented.
Learning Objectives:
Keywords: Evaluation, Community Collaboration
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
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.