Purpose
State, territorial, and local health agencies (S/T/LHAs) need a well-qualified and committed public health (PH) workforce (PHWF) with resources and capabilities to achieve their mission. The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated long-standing weaknesses in governmental PHWF, data systems, and foundational capabilities. CDC-RFA-OE22-2203, Strengthening U.S. Public Health Infrastructure, Workforce, & Data Systems Grant provides resources for S/T/LHAs to meet critical immediate needs and to plan and make strategic investments in PH agency infrastructure for the future.
Approach
ASTHO proposes these activities for the 3 Component B strategy areas:
• Rapidly collect/review Component (Comp) A grantee workplans to respond to needs related to PHWF, foundational capabilities, data modernization, & grant management.
• Support Comp A recipients in assessments, planning, systems, policy, & process improvements for PHWF recruitment/retention, foundational PH capabilities, & accreditation.
• Curate/develop trainings to meet PHWF needs.
• Support Comp A recipients in planning & implementing agency management, governance, & support structures; systems & solutions; policy; & process/quality improvements for data modernization & informatics.
• Support recruitment/retention of a diverse PHWF.
• Support utilization of national PHWF & finance data sets.
• Collaborate with partners to design an evaluation plan, support data collection, & disseminate findings.
• Facilitate cross-cutting coordination & communication among Comp A recipients & CDC.
• Deploy a comprehensive knowledge-sharing & coordination strategy to improve Comp A grant recipients & DMI leader success.
ASTHO will leverage its robust internal capacity and deep engagements with S/T/LHAs and will engage a national coalition of partners, the National Expert Partner Collaborative (NEPC). NEPC includes traditional PH partners (Big Cities Health Coalition, Public Health Foundation, de Beaumont Foundation, members of ASTHO’s Affiliate Council, National Association of State Budget Officers, National Conference of State Legislatures, National Academy for State Health Policy) and non-traditional partners (Deloitte, Society for Human Resource Management).
Outcomes
ASTHO will achieve the following outcomes over the project period:
Short-Term Outcomes
• Strengthened foundational capabilities, self-efficacy, & strategic skills of Comp A
recipients to lead PH transformation & system improvement.
• Increased Comp A recipient knowledge/skills to design and/or implement evidence- based strategies & policies to support foundational capabilities & data modernization, and to recruit/retain a diverse PHWF reflective of their communities’ diversity.
• Increased availability of staffing solutions for hiring/retention of new PH staff.
• Increased knowledge of PH infrastructure data & insights among Comp A recipients through an interactive data platform & related products responsive to their needs, as well as highlighting national survey results & notable grant outcome experiences.
Intermediate Outcomes
• Increased effectiveness of strategy implementation among Comp A recipients through identifying & disseminating evidence-based & promising practices.
• Increased capacity of Comp A recipients to implement policies & strategies that address root causes of disparities to advance health equity.
• Improved Comp A recipients strategic & administrative readiness to use available funding to support sustainable infrastructure improvements.
• Increased access among Comp A recipients to tools, data, guidance, & SMEs to support grant implementation.
• Strengthened connections among Comp A recipients, PH partners, & federal agencies through deployment/expansion of relevant communities of practice.
• Increased availability and accessibility of successes, best practices, lessons learned, & new/emerging evidence in PHWF, foundational capabilities, & data modernization for Comp A recipients, CDC, & other interested parties