Wednesday, February 5, 2025
2/5/2025
The Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services (NE DHHS) is committed to implementing evidence-based programs that address the health and economic consequences of the leading causes of death and disability in Nebraska. The Nebraska Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (NE BRFSS) Program has been conducting surveys annually since 1986 for the purpose of assessing and monitoring major health risk behaviors that contribute to chronic disease, disabilities, injuries, and other health conditions and behaviors among adults living in the state. The NE BRFSS Program has a long and successful history of collecting high quality BRFSS data, collaborating with data users, and promoting the utilization of BRFSS data. The purpose of this project is to address chronic disease and other important health issues and health disparities in the state through efficient and effective collection and use of BRFSS data that supports state and local public health planning, implementation of evidence-based strategies, and evaluation. Two short-term/intermediate outcomes and four strategies were selected for this project. The outcomes include (1) NE DHHS will increase access to more quality and timelier BRFSS data collected and analyzed by organizations, and (2) NE DHHS will ensure that BRFSS data are used by public health organizations to identify health risk behaviors and health status of populations. The strategies include (1) maintain and expand key partnerships, (2) improve the availability, quality, and timeliness of BRFSS data collection, (3) improve dissemination, access to, and employment of quality BRFSS data to drive public health policy and programs, and (4) collect a sufficient number of interviews to allow for sub-state and demographic comparison. To achieve these strategies over the three-year funding cycle, the NE BRFSS Program will focus on maintaining an active BRFSS Data Users Group, collaborating with local health departments (LHDs), expanding partnerships with external organizations, and participating in statewide and internal NE DHHS assessment and strategic planning efforts. Furthermore, the NE BRFSS Program will develop an annual questionnaire that meets the needs of data users, including the ongoing collection of asthma call-back surveys, a design that results in sufficient data for sub-state and demographic analysis, and data collection that meets all CDC guidelines and protocols. Furthermore, the NE BRFSS Program will enhance the availability and utilization of BRFSS data through the development and release of BRFSS reports and fact sheets and the development and maintenance an interactive web-based data delivery application for BRFSS. Ongoing evaluation and performance monitoring is critical to the success of the NE BRFSS Program. As a result, a set of key performance measures and an overall evaluation approach have been established. This approach includes ongoing documentation and reporting of outcomes and strategies and activities and using this information for continuous quality improvement.
HHS’ Tracking Accountability in Government Grants System (TAGGS) website provides access to detailed descriptions of grants, loans, aggregated direct payments and other types of financial assistance awarded by the HHS Operating Divisions (OPDIVs) and the Office of the Secretary Staff Divisions (STAFFDIVs).