State Forums Project
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation invested in NNPHI’s network to advance the State Forums to Advance Health System Transformation project, which funded public health institutes to facilitate a series of state and regional meetings that advanced practical strategies for bridging public health and health care.
About the State Forums project
Over the five-year span of this project, NNPHI funded 16 member institutes to coordinate and conduct a series of state forums that built on the existing work of the public health institutes; supported the development of a shared definition of population health; provided opportunities for the design of mutual goals, strategies, and activities between public health and health care; and created a path for meaningful collaboration in the next steps of ACA implementation. Some of the innovations that were produced by the project included:
- Engaged Community Health Workers (CHWs) – Elevating the voice of CHWs, exploring creative financing models and developing a CHW scope of work
- Created a community health fund to align state funding sources and priorities, particularly in areas experiencing health disparities
- Promoted health systems transformation in indigenous communities
- Launched a pilot program between Medicaid MCOs and community-based organizations (CBOs) to support the delivery of the Diabetes Prevention Program
- Discussed the barriers and potential solutions for improving behavioral and public health systems integration
- Identified strategies to build the healthcare workforce of the future with skills in systems thinking, authentic community engagement and knowledge of evidence-based population health interventions
- Developed a Health Value Dashboard that is a composite measure of a state’s performance on population health outcomes and healthcare spending
Hurricane Response Hub
In the wake of Hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria in 2017, NNPHI coordinated efforts across five technical assistance centers, led by public health institutes, to strengthen ongoing health recovery efforts in Texas, Louisiana, Florida, Georgia and Puerto Rico.
About the Hurricane Response Hub
Funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, these technical assistance centers worked with local, state and regional partners to:
- train the public health workforce in disaster recovery practices related to environmental health and worker health
- improve municipalities’ skills in tracking and reporting injuries and fatalities
- implement mental health first aid training for first responders
- build workforce skills in instituting pre-disaster resiliency practices
- use dashboards to monitor hospital capacity
- improve communications on public health best practices in emergencies
The response hub model is replicable to other disasters and scalable beyond city and statewide contexts.
Contact Us
Interested in learning more about partnering with NNPHI and its member institutes, or have a particular project ready for further discussion? Let us guide you through next steps in the process.