Blog

Margie Beaudry is Director of Performance Improvement Services at the Public Health Foundation. Throughout the year, I speak with many health department leaders who ask, "Is my organization alone in this challenge? Is this training need common among other health departments? Are you helping others...

Blasting Off: Achieving Team Success Using Quality Improvement Tools

Posted in: Infrastructure, Performance Management and Quality Improvement, and Strategic Planning

August 25, 2017

“Houston, we have a problem.” The story of the Apollo 13 mission stands as a shining example of a high-functioning and effective team, one that brought a damaged spacecraft, and its astronauts, home safely. But what should you do when your quality improvement (QI) team is stuck on the launch pad or...

Community Chief Health Strategist: How Will We Get There?

Posted in: Community Development, and Infrastructure

November 17, 2016

Are you looking to become the Community Chief Health Strategist? The Public Health Foundation (PHF) has the expertise to make this happen for you, and involve community partners working together toward shared goals. As the Community Chief Health Strategist, you will step forward to align stakeholders...

Respond Now to the Threat of Zika

Posted in: Infrastructure, and Performance Management and Quality Improvement

August 1, 2016

Choose to Be Lean and Effective We know that state and local health departments are not getting all the resources they need to respond to the present and emerging risk of Zika and other vector-borne diseases. With the limited resources available, it is imperative that agencies be effective and eff...

Understanding Changes to the Accreditation Process

Posted in: Infrastructure, Performance Management and Quality Improvement, and Strategic Planning

December 15, 2015

Important Changes to PHAB ProcessIn June 2015, the Board of Directors of the Public Health Accreditation Board (PHAB) adopted a new Guide to National Public Health Department Initial Accreditation (Guide). While the overall process for accreditation has not changed, there are several new and revised pol...

Recapping a Year in the Field

Posted in: Data Analysis, Infrastructure, Performance Management and Quality Improvement, PHF News, Strategic Planning, and Workforce Development

August 5, 2015

It has been a busy year for our Public Health Foundation (PHF) experts who deliver Performance Improvement (PI) Services in performance management, quality improvement (QI), and workforce development. They covered a lot of ground, providing customized on-site technical assistance (TA) and training in...

Why are They Stomping in Frederick, MD?

Posted in: Infrastructure, and Performance Management and Quality Improvement

March 25, 2015

Barbara A. Brookmyer, MD, MPH is Health Officer for Frederick County, Maryland. She previously served as Deputy Health Officer on the Eastern Shore of Maryland in Somerset County and Dorchester County. While working for the Health Resources and Services Administration, she developed policies to increase...

Charting a New Way Forward: Washoe County’s Experience with a Fundamental Review of the Health District

Posted in: Infrastructure, Performance Management and Quality Improvement, and Strategic Planning

December 16, 2014

Kevin Dick is the Washoe County District Health Officer in Reno, Nevada. In April 2013, I was appointed interim Health Officer of the Washoe County Health District. The Health District, like many, was experiencing years of declining revenue and deficit spending. Our position was unsustainable and,...

Open Call for PHAB Site Visitors

Posted in: Infrastructure

October 9, 2014

The Public Health Accreditation Board (PHAB) is actively seeking public health practitioners to serve as Site Visitors. PHAB Accreditation is based on a peer review process, and Site Visitors play a central and substantive role in the accreditation process. PHAB is the independent organization that...

Indiana Uses PHHS Block Grant to Build Capacity Statewide

Posted in: Infrastructure, and Performance Management and Quality Improvement

June 11, 2014

Kristin Adams, Director, Office of Public Health Policy and Performance Management, Indiana Sate Department of Health The Indiana State Department of Health (ISDH) has had great success utilizing the Preventive Health and Health Services (PHHS) Block Grant to support local level initiatives including...