The Foundational Public Health Services (FPHS) framework and operational definitions, stewarded by the Public Health Accreditation Board (PHAB), define core public health services that are the unique responsibility of governmental public health and describe a minimum package of public health services that should be available everywhere, in all communities across the country.
Continuing the Public Health Foundation’s (PHF’s) efforts to assist health departments address workforce needs in their agencies, new resources and tools have been developed to complement the PHAB FPHS tools. These resources and tools will aid health departments in their workforce capacity assessments and prioritization of workforce needs and staffing. By utilizing these PHF resources and tools, health departments can more effectively move from workforce capacity self-assessment data to concrete actions that strengthen their ability to deliver essential public health services to their communities.
Consulting
Undertaking a workforce capacity self-assessment offers several benefits, including:
- Identifying specific areas of strength and weakness within the organization
- Providing data-driven evidence for resource allocation and strategic planning
- Facilitating benchmarking against other health departments and national standards
Challenges may include:
- Time and resource constraints for conducting comprehensive assessments
- Potential resistance from staff or leadership due to concerns about findings
- Difficulty in translating assessment results into actionable strategies
Training
Toolkit
The PHF toolkit is designed to support public health agencies in implementing a thorough review of what is needed to deliver the FPHS in their jurisdictions. It is one thing to know the financial resources desired, and it is another to prioritize and advocate for necessary additional staff. The toolkit contains five main sections designed to assist health departments assess needs, make important decisions about staffing and advocate for needed resources:
1. Conducting an assessment and developing a comprehensive inventory of Foundational Services and Community Specific Services
2. Conducting an assessment of staff expertise and capacity to address FPHS
3. Tools to assist in staffing decision making
4. Published Materials:
5. Additional Resources:
PHF can assist health departments with using these new tools through in-person as well as remote consulting, streamlined to the individual health department’s needs. For information, contact Carol Moehrle,
[email protected]