Innovation across the domestic public health system

Our national public health system is facing unprecedented resource constraints. There are many projects, programs, and other interventions taking place at local and state levels. Many of these activities have varying degrees of evidentiary support, creating problems for understanding and sharing key components on a broad scale. This can result in a great amount of reinvention, utilizing scarce resources to develop similar activities in different jurisdictions. Utilizing an innovation framework can help health departments understand how to interact with stakeholders in communicating innovative practices that lack substantial evidence. This model may, in effect, enable increased uptake of “best practices” by sharing what works in public health. The framework may enable stakeholders to foster innovation while minimizing the risk of loss. This presentation will provide an overview of the innovation lifecycle, describe its key components and characteristics, and discuss its relevant to mitigating resource limitations in addressing public health priorities. It will combine the theoretical model with case examples for application to state and local health departments. This presentation will highlight the goals of the innovation cycle and some key considerations when developing and implementing such a program, and some of the key features for ongoing success.