Too often, organizational strategic plans become dusty and forgotten, never implemented into daily activities. At Cobb-Douglas Public Health (CDPH), the strategic plan is executed through the balanced scorecard and is an integral part of daily activities.  Because the scorecard is a living document, it is actively fulfilling the CDPH mission of promoting and protecting the health and safety of the residents of Cobb and Douglas counties.  CDPH is actively engaged in accomplishing their vision of becoming "an acknowledged leader among health departments in the southeastern United States," as evidenced by several recent national awards.

In addition to a Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Outstanding Achievement in Public Health Award, CDPH recently received two other national awards.  This past week, CDPH was notified that two of their National Association of City & County Health Officials (NACCHO) Model Practice submissions have been selected as promising and model practices.  

NACCHO's Model Practice Program was formed to honor and recognize the accomplishments of outstanding local health practices from and across the nation.  Ultimately, the Model Practice Program seeks to compile outstanding practices in the form of a best practice compendium or reference library for other departments across the nation.  The Practice Program has been in existence since 2003.  Health departments may submit practices annually for consideration and if selected, may be deemed as a "model" or "promising" practice.  For a practice to be considered as a "model" for other departments, it must demonstrate the local health department's involvement/collaboration or role in the public health practice, innovation, responsiveness and an evaluation component.