Blog

Sashani Simpson, RN, BSN is a Master’s degree candidate at the Johns Hopkins School of Nursing in Baltimore, Maryland. She has practiced nursing for more than nine years at Johns Hopkins Hospital. Did you know that nursing is the most trusted profession in the court of public opinion, 16 years run...

Using the A3 Problem Solving Report at Oklahoma City-County Health Department

Posted in: Performance Management and Quality Improvement

April 7, 2017

Kathie Dyer, Quality Improvement Council Consultant, Oklahoma City-County Health Department Efficiency at Oklahoma City-County (OK) Health Department (OCCHD) is a prime objective in our day-to-day operations, and as the Quality Improvement (QI) Council Consultant at OCCHD, I am always on the lookout...

Update on Responding to Zika

Posted in: Performance Management and Quality Improvement

October 25, 2016

Since our last blog post about Zika funding and response, Congress has allocated funding explicitely to support Zika prevention, surveillance, and preparedness. Health departments need to remain lean and effective in responding to the present and emerging risk of Zika and other vector-borne diseases,...

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...

Improving Access to Physical Activity: Taking on Health Disparities

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

July 22, 2016

Jessica Montana, MPH, CHES is the REACH Program Coordinator at the Cabarrus Health Alliance in Kannapolis, NC. In Cabarrus County, NC, our public health and other community leaders understand that health disparities – often along racial and ethnic lines – are a genuine and formidable barrier to...

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...

New Funding Opportunity for Local Health Department Accreditation Preparation Support from NACCHO

Posted in: Performance Management and Quality Improvement, TRAIN, and Workforce Development

October 30, 2013

With funding from the CDC’s Office for State, Tribal, Local, & Territorial Support, the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) recently announced a funding opportunity for local health departments (LHDs) to engage in accreditation readiness activities. The 2013–2014 Accreditation...

Getting Started with Quality Improvement: Questions and Answers about the District of Columbia Department of Health Experience

Posted in: Performance Management and Quality Improvement

July 27, 2012

The National Public Health Improvement Initiative (NPHII), funded through the Prevention and Public Health Fund of the Affordable Care Act, has allowed the District of Columbia Department of Health (DC DOH) and 73 other state, tribal, local, and territorial health departments to make fundamental changes...

Getting Started with Quality Improvement: an Interview with Heather Reffett, Performance Improvement Manager

Posted in: Performance Management and Quality Improvement

July 6, 2012

Heather Reffett is the Performance Improvement Manager at the District of Columbia Department of Health. The National Public Health Improvement Initiative, funded through the Prevention and Public Health Fund of the Affordable Care Act, has allowed the District of Columbia Department of Health (DOH)...

Asthma Management: A Local Health Department’s Perspective

Posted in: Performance Management and Quality Improvement

November 16, 2011

A conversation with Kathleen C. Brown, PhD, MPH, Director of Community Assessment and Health Promotion at the Knox County Health Department (KCHD) in Knoxville, Tennessee What challenges does Knoxville have related to asthma?One of the greatest challenges with asthma management is that even the...