Write it and rate it: A Web-based success story tool

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) Preventive Health and Health Services Block Grant (BG) program is the primary source of flexible funding for 61 grantees including U.S. states, territories, and tribes. As a part of their reporting requirements, grantees must submit a success story that documents their success in addressing their unique public health needs. In the past, some of the success stories submitted were poorly written and could not be shared when responding to Congressional inquiries. Additionally, CDC BG staff did not have a mechanism for providing technical assistance on the stories before they were submitted electronically with the annual report. In an effort to improve the quality of the stories and to utilize technology, the CDC BG staff considered grantee input and created a new Web-based Success Stories Tool that allows grantees to receive feedback on their stories from peers and CDC staff. Using this tool, reviewers rate the strength of each success story against predefined criteria. Categories of a story include the issue, the intervention, and the impact. Each category is weighted differently and combined to give an overall rating from 1 (weak) to 5 (strong). Grantees receiving less than 5 stars are given technical assistance and the opportunity to improve their story to a 5 star rating. As a result, the BG program receives more quality written stories that are distributed to various audiences. This tool can be adapted for any organization, and it is currently being used throughout the entire state of Florida.