CDC-RFA-PW24-0080 Category A: Territory-Strengthening Public Health Systems and Services through National Partnerships to Improve and Protect the Nation's Health - Pacific and Atlantic jurisdictions face unique challenges including strained and overburdened public health infrastructure. ASTHO seeks funding through CDC-RFA-PW-24-0080 to support a capacity-building assistance (CBA) program to improve the overall performance of their public health systems. The population of focus for this application is territorial governmental public health agencies (THAs), inclusive of all island jurisdictions in our membership. The Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO) is the only national nonprofit organization representing public health agencies in the United States, the U.S. territories and freely associated states, and the District of Columbia. ASTHO will build on prior work with the CDC and other partners to provide a CBA program consisting of technical assistance (TA), training, tools, peer-to-peer learning opportunities, and information sharing necessary to build THA capacities and capabilities. By the end of the performance period, ASTHO intends to achieve the following outcomes: 1) Enhanced skill and ability to support decision-making toward applying recommended processes, policies, programs, and practices within the strategic areas; 2) Increased awareness of best/promising practices and/or tools by populations of focus of CBA services and products; and 3) Increased use of CBA services and products by populations of focus. ASTHO will focus on the following strategies: organizational capacity and performance improvement, partnership development and engagement, and policy and programs. To achieve the outcomes in these areas ASTHO will: • Conduct environmental scans with territorial health officials (THOs) to assess current and emerging public health priorities to determine effective ways to meet capacity-building needs. THOs and partners may use the findings to support their planning efforts. • Provide communication opportunities for THOs to share strategies and information on national public health issues. • Host communications training for THOs. • Provide tailored onboarding to THOs to improve engagement and increase THO use of and contributions to CB services, products, and TA requests. • Support THA leadership in defining and amplifying local policy priorities. • Improve THA administrative and operational policy through meetings with peers and federal agency staff. • Strengthen key partnerships with regional and local organizations to build THAs policy capacity. • Build policy capacity through an island-specific policy peer network, and ad-hoc TA. • Track key legislation that impacts public health and disseminate emerging and promising law and policy trends to THAs. ASTHO’s work in the Pacific and Atlantic territories spans the last three decades but has intensified in the last ten years with targeted CDC funding. With past CDC support, ASTHO has built strong member and agency engagement in more than 1,700 CB activities and nearly 1,300 TA requests since 2018. ASTHO’s longstanding relationship with THAs, capacity to identify THA priorities and needs, and existing methods of convening and connecting with THAs will allow ASTHO to tailor a CBA program to address THA priorities and needs. ASTHO will leverage its 20-member affiliate council and territory-specific partnerships, like the Pacific Island Health Officers’ Association, to achieve the project outcomes. These partnerships will supplement ASTHO employees’ expertise, which includes policy, performance improvement, research and evaluation, workforce development, communications, and leadership and organizational development along with a variety of public health program areas.
