As award recipients, both health departments received on-site technical assistance and remote coaching from PHF to build QI capacity and advance their programs to improve outcomes in one of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Winnable Battles. Award recipients were chosen by a team of experts in public health QI and Winnable Battles.
 
CDPH used this opportunity to address rates of the antimicrobial resistant Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) in long-term care (LTC) facilities. With technical assistance from PHF’s Senior Quality Advisor, Jack Moran, CDPH used QI to strengthen collaboration between public health and healthcare partners; this collaboration was essential to implementing several tracking and practice protocols designed to decrease CDI at LTCs. Because CDPH’s project addressed antibiotic stewardship, it was also one of the first three pilot sites in PHF’s Antibiotic Stewardship Program.  Read the full story here.
 
WCPH used its FPHA award to improve access to local, affordable produce by strengthening collaboration among primary care, public health, and local agriculture through the Prescription for Health program. With technical assistance from PHF’s QI Expert, Sonja Armbruster, WCPH employed QI tools to engage community clinics and farmers’ markets in this program, and to standardize a new process which boosted Prescription for Health participation. WCPH plans to build on this QI success as the agency prepares for voluntary accreditation through the Public Health Accreditation Board. Read the full story here.

 

The Future of Public Health Award was funded through Cooperative Agreement Number 5U38HM000518-03 with the CDC to Strengthen and Improve the Nation’s Public Health Capacity through National, Non-Profit, Professional Public Health Organizations to Increase Health Protection and Health Equity.
 
For additional information about PHF’s QI services or the Future of Public Health Award program, please contact PHF_resources@phf.org.