Oral

There is increasing interest in health improvement plans, whether it’s to meet new federal requirements for non-profit hospitals or to be eligible for accreditation by the Public Health Accreditation Board (PHAB) for public health departments. Health improvement plans can be useful planning guides for state and local communities. These plans can provide leadership and direction to engage system-wide partners in collaboratively addressing health priorities and strengthening the public health infrastructure by setting measurable goals and objectives that are routinely monitored. Health improvement plans provide information on health status, system capacity, available resources, and required policy changes for health improvement. This session will focus on health improvement planning and plan development as it relates to health departments and public health systems. The Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO) and the National Association of City and County Health Departments (NACCHO) are working with state and local health departments to identify where they are with health improvement planning and supporting the development of these plans. Presenters will share data describing health improvement activity in health departments. The steps to take and components to include in developing health improvement plans will also be described. Additionally, presenters will share how using frameworks like MAPP and NPHPSP can contribute to the development of health improvement plans.

Session Objectives: 1) Discuss ASTHO and NACCHO survey results on health improvement plans, health assessments and strategic plans and resources available for plan development; 2) Identify the steps for developing a health improvement plan and the components of a plan, including those needed for PHAB accreditation; and 3) Describe how the NPHPSP and MAPP can provide vital information for public health planning and priority setting.

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