Planning for the development of a systems-based strategy to improve the quality of public health
New and emerging threats to public health have forced the recognition that rapid improvement and transformation of the U.S. public health system is vital in the near term. Quality improvement (QI) -- a process by which state and local health agencies use data to improve programs, policies, and health outcomes -- can help create learning organizations that are adaptable and effective in the current public health environment. Although language and methods of QI have found their way into the military, the personal health care system and into government more broadly, ongoing work has established that QI is, with several exceptions, underused in public health practice. In fact, RAND found, through a series of 20 public health leader interviews, that QI rarely occurs once problems are identified. This grant supports: (1) a white paper on QI and public health, using the area of public health preparedness as a springboard for further discussion; (2) a one-day meeting with public health experts and stakeholders to identify key challenges, opportunities and design targets, and a toolkit that might help address the design targets; (3) at least three site visits to state or local public health agencies to observe processes and potential for change before the meeting; and (4) a follow-up plan to the Foundation, which might include the convening of an ongoing public health QI collaborative, should this first phase prove successful.
Amount Awarded $94,925.00
Awarded on: 5/25/2005
Time frame: 6/1/2005 - 2/28/2006
Grant Number: 53270