A blueprint for public health in the new millennium

Critiques regarding the need for improved quality in the American medical care delivery system come from many quarters, including Institutes of Medicine (IOM), National Center for Healthcare Leadership (NCHL), and The Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO). Less emphasized are calls for an improved public health system. Many public health organizations struggle with problems such as an under-appreciation of the health issue being addressed, competition with ineffective, but popular programs, lack of communication between partner organizations, competing priorities, limited funding, and a treatment oriented culture. Issues such as bioterrorism and public health preparedness provide opportunities for a more organized and systematic approach to public health. This session will provide participants with a synopsis of the literature on quality improvement in public health, highlights of successes and failures to date, and a suggested blueprint for initiating organizational learning and quality improvement in the American public health system. The current blueprint is to establish a minimum educational requirement for entry into public health, develop organizational leadership, cultivate inter-agency collaboration, identify and apply best practices, and secure long-term funding to provide a sustained attack on health issues.