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.
CDPH's Center for Organizational Performance & Strategy
Management (OPSM) was awarded a "model" practice status by
uniting their Mobilizing for Action through Planning &
Partnerships (MAPP), Balanced Scorecard, and now, Community
Transformation Grant (CTG) under the auspices of their
Public Health Accreditation Board (PHAB) initiative, within
the same organizational unit/Center. NACCHO recognizes and
recommends that other health departments adopt CDPH's
organizational structure of grouping these activities under
the same Center, as a way to align strategic activities,
identify opportunities for innovation and efficiencies and
to conserve precious resources to provide exponentially more
value to the community.
Practices may also be designated a "promising" in practice
if they are able to demonstrate the local health
department's role/collaboration, innovation and
responsiveness, and data to support that the practice
improves health outcomes. This year, CDPH's Interactive
Technology Project at the Cobb Safety Village was accepted
as a "promising" practice. CDPH will resubmit their
application for consideration as a "model" practice once
they have demonstrated the effectiveness of their
educational modules.
Each year, the Model Practice Program continues to receive a
record number of applications. Last year, more than 125
applications were received. Of those, 42 public health
practices are selected as "model" and 40 were selected as
"promising." Historically, only eight awards, "promising" or
"model," have been awarded in the State of Georgia. Surely,
a sign to keep up the great work!
Visit the NACCHO Model Practice Program online to visit
CDPH's model practice pages.
-Story by Emily R. Frantz, organizational performance
and strategy management director, Cobb-Douglas Public Health
