In July 2010, the Sedgwick County Health Department in Kansas began working with PHF in an effort to develop a culture of QI at the agency. The key objectives of the project included:
- Development of an agency quality improvement plan
- Leadership staff training
- All-staff training
Phase I
PHF gained an understanding of Sedgwick County's current use of QI and learned about their most significant needs. Prior to the QI Workshop, health department leaders met with Jack Moran, PHF's Senior Quality Advisor, so that he could assist with the development of the meeting agenda. He offered advice on how to empower the teams to develop discrete projects, AIM statements, improvement and measurement plans, and specific project timelines.
Phase II
In the weeks after the workshop, Sedgwick County QI Project Managers met by conference call with Jack to review their project plans. Prior to the meetings, Jack reviewed each team's one-page Project Proposal Sheet and followed up by email with suggestions and observations.
Phase III
The culminating activity for the project was an all-staff training. In the weeks leading up to the training, PHF and Sedgwick County leaders discussed needs and priorities for the presentation. Ty Kane, Sedgwick County Project Manager, offered suggestions for content based on recommendations from agency leadership and his own priorities as the project manager. Jack offered suggestions based on his experience and knowledge, using the feedback from Ty in his presentation to 120 staff members.
Resource Development
Representing PHF, Jack Moran worked with Sedgwick County to assist in developing the agency's first QI Policy and QI Plan. The guidance offered by PHF was a springboard for implementation of QI in the agency. The training plan and 2011 QI Plan were strengthened, and the collaboration enhanced the credibility of the training and increased participant engagement. As Ty Kane summarized: "We look forward to future opportunities to work with Jack and PHF."
*Ty Kane, Project Manager for Sedgwick County Health Department, provided the detailed process information regarding the project history.
Webinar Presented
Claudia Blackburn, Sonja Armbruster, and Ty Kane presented their quality improvement project and various experiences that they had in the webinar hosted by NACCHO entitled "Building a QI Culture in a Local Health Department."
Sedgwick County Storyboards
The areas in which the Sedgwick County Health Department implemented quality improvement projects were:
Contact PHF for information on quality improvement services for your local or state health department.
To read about the many successes that the Sedgwick County Health Department experienced with QI, please access the Sedgwick County storyboards at: