Oral

This session will explore the National Public Health Performance Standards Program (NPHPSP) and its connection to some of the most critical topics impacting public health today. The session will address the NPHPSP's role in driving performance improvement and the opportunity that performance standards could play in national strategies for improving health. At a time when health departments and their partners are being asked to do more with less, this session will examine the value of a public health systems assessment process in planning and priority setting. Attention will also be given to the connection between the NPHPSP and national accreditation, examining the role of both systems and agencies in improving public health. Seven national public health organizations – CDC, APHA, ASTHO, NACCHO, NALBOH, NNPHI, and PHF – have partnered to develop national model performance standards for state and local public health systems and local governing entities, based on the framework of the ten essential public health services. Numerous state public health systems, local public health systems, and boards of health have used the national standards since the launch of the NPHPSP in 2002 and find it a valuable tool for assessing public health activities and identifying opportunities for improvement.

Session Objectives: At the end of this session, participants should be able: 1) To identify the opportunity that performance standards could play in national strategies for improving health; 2) to explain how the NPHPSP can provide vital information for public health planning and priority setting, and; 3) to describe the relationship between NPHPSP and national accreditation.

CE Credits: Medical (CME), Health Education (CHES), Nursing (CNE), Public Health (CPH)