1. Beaverhead County Public Health Department Strategic Plan Angela Dusko, MPH Candidate
Largest county in MT,
Background
BCPH Public Health Services
Immunizations
Family Planning
WIC services
Fetal, Infant, and Child Mortality Review
STD screening and Prevention
Preventative health and outreach clinics
Reportable disease investigation
Tobacco-use Prevention Program
Disaster and Emergency Services
School health upon request
CPR training
In 2017 the Beaverhead County Health Department (BCPH) in Dillon, MT was awarded a MT-DPHHS Community Health Improvement Planning Grant. A stipulation of the grant was a published strategic plan. Using the MPHA practicum partnership program, the county health department director sought the help of a University of Montana School of Public and Community Health Sciences graduate student to assist with the project. Here I highlight my experience working with the BCPH, the process used to achieve the goals of the practicum project, and required objectives that were met for my MPH graduate curriculum.
University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute. County Health Rankings 2017.
6th in MT for overall health factors: health behaviors, clinical care, social and economic factors, and the physical environment.
13th in the state for overall health outcomes: length and quality of life.
2A6. Participates in program planning processes.
2A8. Identifies mechanisms to monitor and evaluate programs for their effectiveness and quality.
5A1. Recognize community linkages and relationships among multiple factors (or determinants) affecting health.
5A4. Collaborate with community partners to promote the health of the population.
9A8. Explain the common characteristics of healthcare delivery systems in rural and frontier areas and their implications for provision of public health services.
Practicum Goals
BCPH vision and mission
Define BCPH organizational goals and objectives.
Develop a BCPH and mission and vision.
Discuss BCPH strengths and weaknesses.
Define strategies to implement objectives.
Develop a work plan with performance measurement.
BCPH Vision:
Fostering Healthy Generations: Healthy you, Healthy me, Healthy us
BCPH Mission:
The Beaverhead County Public Health Department is committed to strengthening our community by assessing community needs, promoting physical and mental health, preventing disease, and preparedness planning through community collaboration.
Practicum Learning objectives
conclusions
Objective 1:
Apply and test public health concepts and theories in practice settings.
Objective 2:
Implement one or more of the ten essential services of public health.
Objective 3:
Utilize problem‐solving skills to assess and analyze public health issues.
Objective 4:
Learn to function successfully as a public health professional in a work setting.
Successful Strategic Planning requires a lot of planning.
Early engagement and buy-in of stakeholders is important .
When identifying objectives, sustainability is vital.
Processes should be reviewed regularly and adjustments are OK.
Continued communication between the community and stakeholders is key.
Acknowledgements
Sue Hansen, Beaverhead County Public Health Director; Lora Weir, Montana Public Health Association Director; University Of Montana School of Public and Community Health Sciences; Beaverhead County Board of Health Members.