Panel Discussion

With increasing attention in public health on accountability and quality improvement, and the impending accreditation program being developed by the Public Health Accreditation Board (PHAB), many health departments are looking to the National Public Health Performance Standards Program (NPHPSP) to assess the capacity of their public health systems and make improvements to public health services. During these difficult economic times, many states are facing limited staff and funding resources and may find it difficult to consider taking on additional activities. However, now more than ever is a key time to ensure that time and resources devoted to public health services are being delivered in the most efficient and effective ways possible. This session will describe how three states have used the NPHPSP to leverage partnerships and resources, improve health systems, develop strategic priorities and plans, and prepare for PHAB accreditation.

Session Objectives: After attending this session participants will be able to: 1.Describe how the National Public Health Performance Standards can be used to engage partners to assess public health systems and services. 2.Describe how the National Public Health Performance Standards can be used to develop system priorities and make public health system improvements. 3.Describe how the National Public Health Performance Standards can be used to prepare for PHAB accreditation.