State of the states: Recent findings in state public health

The Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO) has implemented several surveys of state public health agencies to track developments over time in State Public Health Agency (SPHA) structure and function, and investigate emerging issues in public health practice. This session will focus on ASTHO's State Public Health Survey, a longitudinal study of the missions, priorities, responsibilities, organizational structures and quality improvement processes of SPHAs, as well as some of the most timely and informative findings from ASTHO's rapid response surveys.

ASTHO has recently conducted rapid response surveys on health reform, climate change and budget cuts in SPHAs. ASTHO is currently planning the 2010 State Public Health Survey and rapid response surveys on public health services for immigrant and refugee populations, at-risk populations and pandemic influenza, and the impact of stimulus funding on SPHAs. Presenters in this session will select key findings from these surveys to provide an up-to-the-minute look at emerging priorities in State Public Health Agencies.

The findings of these surveys will help create the foundation for a comprehensive database of state public health agency functions and services, serving as a resource to policy makers, state public health agencies, public health partners, and public health researchers. This database will assist in identifying best practices and be used to provide technical assistance to state health departments. Survey findings will also provide evidence to inform policy decisions and provide researchers with a launch point to initiate further research into the public health systems across our nation, including further analysis between infrastructure and health outcomes.