Contributed by: Stacy Michaelson, AOC Health and Human Services Policy Manager

May 6, 2016

Oregon One of Three States to Partner with Robert Wood Johnson on New Model of Public Health

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, one of the partners in the annual national County Health Rankings report, has awarded three states grants to push the envelope on public health. Oregon, Washington, and Ohio have each received roughly $250,000 to implement public health innovations. The three states were invited to apply for the “21st Century Public Health” because they are seen as national leaders in their public health strategies.

In Oregon, the funds will be used to support the work around public health modernization in moving to a new model for thinking about public health services. Specifically, the money will help support outreach and engagement among counties and other stakeholders regarding the future of public health in our state. CLHO has dubbed this project, “Aligning Innovative Models for Health Improvement in Oregon.”

The grants could not be awarded to governmental entities, so the Coalition of Local Health Officials (CLHO) is the official recipient of the funds. Morgan Cowling, Executive Director of CLHO, recently attended a national meeting with Robert Wood Johnson staff and the other grant recipients. Next steps are to finalize the hiring of a contractor to assist with the work.

For further details, here is the project summary included in CLHO’s grant application to the Foundation:

“This project will drive Oregon’s public health system toward implementation of Foundation Public Health Services (FPHS) model through: building awareness and shared understanding about the essential role and functions of public health among stakeholders across the state; identifying and understanding the unique challenges, opportunities, and assets within each local community; developing a road map and a suite of tools to support the development of modernization plans; and supporting local stakeholders and communities to develop modernization plans. Participation in this project will allow Oregon to learn from other states that are moving toward the FPHS model, as well as contribute to the growing body of knowledge in this area. Oregon’s strategy for accomplishing project objectives include: working with a contractor to convene regional meetings, utilizing other methods to engage stakeholders and communities, developing or modifying tools and other resources to assist planning efforts for local communities, and aligning with and building upon state and local accreditation efforts. The existing Public Health Advisory Board will be used to assure accountability to this project’s deliverables and outcomes and widespread involvement of diverse stakeholder groups in all aspects of this project. As we implement this project, we will need to maintain awareness of ongoing risks and challenges. State and local public health jurisdictions face challenges to dedicate adequate resources for this work while maintaining current levels of service. This project seeks to address this by assisting with convening stakeholders and providing tools and ongoing technical assistance. FPHS work in Oregon may be impacted (either positively or negatively) by outcomes of the 2017 legislative session. Working with the legislature is outside of the scope of this project.”