A practitioner's perspective on the Ohio consolidation quick strike study findings

There has been an ongoing discussion about the benefits and challenges associated with local health department consolidation across the country. This discussion has led academics to research the process of consolidation to find out more about what motivates local officials to consider consolidation, what challenges they face in this process, and what potential benefits may be realized as a result of health department consolidation. Such research efforts have the potential to inform practitioners who are in the process of exploring or implementing a local health department consolidation. These research efforts can be even more successful when practitioners are engaged as a part of the research team.

This presentation will review the process of sharing the results of the Ohio Consolidation Quick Strike study undertaken by Kent State University and the University of Arkansas with the involvement of practitioners in Ohio. This presentation will also discuss how the findings can help inform practitioners and policymakers in their decision-making processes related to health department consolidation, and also how building collaborative relationships with academic institutions can provide ongoing support in this area. The presentation will also provide practitioners and academics in the audience an opportunity to discuss their experiences creating and sharing knowledge, and how those collaborative experiences may have been beneficial.