141st APHA Annual Meeting

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284783
Where are state public health agencies headed? a qualitative review of strategic maps

Wednesday, November 6, 2013 : 1:30 PM - 1:50 PM

Karl Ensign , Public Health Performance, Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO), Arlington, VA
Leaders and directors within state public health agencies (SPHAs) oversee a broad array of functions and services that are not always well-coordinated. Demand for increased accountability and strategic direction are voiced from multiple sources. Yet implementation occurs within a challenging context of increasing need and diminishing resources. For these reasons, setting a strategic direction can be difficult.

One useful tool for accomplishing this is “strategic mapping,” a process through which a central challenge, strategic priorities, objectives, and tracks of work are identified and prioritized in a collaborative manner. Once agreed upon, these are visually displayed in a one-page graphic. ASTHO makes this process and tool available to its membership through a partnership with TSI, Inc.

ASTHO is undertaking a qualitative analysis of strategic maps developed for SPHAs by TSI, Inc. from 2008 – 2012. The study is determining the strategic directions identified by SPHAs and their plans for implementation. To the extent possible, changes in the content over time will be identified and analyzed. The overarching goal is to improve the research and practice fields' understanding of state public health agency strategies to improve population health.

Learning Areas:
Administration, management, leadership
Conduct evaluation related to programs, research, and other areas of practice
Program planning
Public health administration or related administration
Systems thinking models (conceptual and theoretical models), applications related to public health

Learning Objectives:
Describe the components of a strategic map and the process leading to their development. Explain common themes found across strategic maps Identify future priorities and tracks of work identified by state agencies

Keywords: Planning, Research Agenda

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I am leading and carrying out the research I will be presenting. As the Director of Evaluation at the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials, I lead efforts related to evaluation internally. Additionally, I provide technical assistance in evaluation to states, territories, and tribes. I am a member of the leadership team for the national evaluation of the National Public Health Improvement Initiative (NPHII) funded by OSTLTS, CDC.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.