Translating the Public Health Action Plan
Into Action

Guidance for Task Groups
Task 4: Strengthening Capacity

Strengthening Capacity

Action: Commission a group to define infrastructure and staff competencies required for the full range of CVH activities by state and local health agencies.

Task: Determine these requirements and propose plans for state and local health agencies to meet.

Outcome, April 2005: Present a report of findings for current health agency structure and function for heart disease and stroke prevention, and recommendations for addressing weak areas.

Rationale

To implement the Action Plan by addressing the need for improved public health infrastructure for addressing requirements for cardiovascular public health programs. Such improvements will increase the effectiveness of heart disease and stroke prevention services to communities and monitor the public health workforce to assure its competencies and resources are sufficient.

What Success Will Look Like

Proposals for improving public health infrastructure will include recommended core competencies for heart disease and stroke prevention; identify those new competencies that require innovative approaches to training and support; and plans by which all required competencies can be acquired, maintained, and improved through training, technical support, and programs for professional development. Further aspects of infrastructure include organizational arrangements providing appropriate focus for CVH activities, and requirements for laboratory competence for present and future programs. Additional considerations include estimated resource requirements (e.g., budget, personnel, and training) for implementing the recommended approaches.

This Task in the Larger Picture

This specific task to strengthen capacity is shown in the attached summary. The many potential links with the other themes of the Action Plan are illustrated by the following:

• Effective communication: The recommended key competencies for CVH program activities will address the need for communicating the urgency to prevent heart disease and stroke and the failure cost if not acted on now. Providing for the skills, organizational arrangements, and resources to help public health agencies meet this need will be important.
   
• Strategic leadership, partnerships, and organization: Clearly defining core competencies for CVH program activities can make pubic health agencies and their partnerships more effective in implementing recommended action. Conversely, leadership can lend critical support to strengthening public health infrastructure as the requirements are clearly and widely recognized.
   
• Taking action: Once priorities for policies and programs have been defined and adopted, success in their implementation will depend on the readiness of public health agencies and partnerships to do the work. Such readiness will create an environment in which policy and program possibilities are seen in a new light, with greater expectation that new initiatives can be undertaken and implemented.
   
• Evaluating impact: Including competencies in data collection, data management, and reporting in infrastructure development will gain from critical assessment of needs and current limitations in health information systems for cardiovascular health and related chronic conditions. Strengthened infrastructure will enable public health agencies and partnerships to use newly available data to maximum effect; thereby improving data systems.
   
• Advancing knowledge: Strengthening public health agencies and partnerships capacity will enable some agencies to collaborate in prevention research with academic institutions and others, while other agencies will be positioned to contribute by collecting, managing, and reporting the population data where research is needed.
   
• Engaging in regional and global partnerships: Refining core competency, other infrastructure requirements, and finding ways to improve them in varied settings will help others throughout the world. In addition, their efforts in heart disease and stroke prevention will be enhanced through information exchange and experience as to best practices under particular conditions and circumstances.

Approach to the Task

While the approach should be determined by the leaders and members of the task group, the following suggested 10–step list may be helpful:

1. Define the scope of activity to be pursued through April 2005, within the overall statement of the task, above.
2. Prepare a preliminary outline of the anticipated report.
3. Identify the main source materials that will support the group's work.
4. Take account of related work by others, whether completed or in progress.
5. Consider whether expertise or consultation beyond the task group will be needed, whether within the National Forum or beyond, and arrange to obtain the needed input.
6. Divide responsibilities for work components among all members of the group.
7. Use support staff to assist in logistics and communications.
8. Maintain frequent contact and monitor progress, including a cumulative record of meetings and accomplishments.
9. Draft the task group report.
10. Present the report to the 3rd National Forum, April 2005.

CDC Support Staff Contact Information

National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and
Health Promotion
Division for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention
4770 Buford Highway NE, MS K-47
Atlanta, GA 30341
Tele: 770–488–5504
Fax: 770–488–8151
Email: ccdinfo@cdc.gov
Web site: http://www.cdc.gov/hdsp/

The Context of the Concrete Tasks
Task 4: Strengthening Capacity

Action: Commission a group to define infrastructure and staff competencies required for the full range of CVH activities by state and local health agencies.

Concrete Task: Determine these requirements and propose plans for state and local health agencies to meet.

Expected Outcome: Present a report of findings regarding current health agency structure and function for heart disease and stroke prevention and recommendations for addressing weak areas.

The above task is 1 of 8 tasks for the National Forum to implement over the following year. This task emerged from 1 of 3 priority action statements in the area of strengthening capacity designated by Working Group 4 in January 2004. These action statements are:

• Define the infrastructure requirements for CVH units, including laboratory support, in public health agencies at local and state levels.
   
• Identify key competencies for the full range of CVH practitioners, from entry to expert levels.
   
• Develop an asset map of current training resources and opportunities, to determine both traditional and innovative approaches to training in the needed competencies.

Task 4 and its related priority action steps were developed from the following recommendation in the full Action Plan:

"Develop and disseminate model performance standards and core competencies in CVD prevention and CVH promotion for national, state, and local public health agencies, including their laboratories."

The background of this task can be found in A Public Health Action Plan to Prevent Heart Disease and Stroke in Section 2, A Comprehensive Public Health Strategy, Section 3. Recommendations, and Section 4. Implementation.

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Date last reviewed: 05/12/2006
Content source: Division for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion