Best Practices Initiative: Community Health Assessment

For this initiative, the Northwest Partnership sought to identify best practices for region-wide implementation through the development of a regional community health assessment survey based on data collected from a regional common data collection template. This assessment, called the Community Health Survey, was designed through a collaborative effort between partnership counties, NC Institute for Public Health, and Public Health Regional Surveillance Team (PHRST) 5. The survey and script are available for interested health departments.

Back to partnership page

Best Practices for Complying with Public Health Accreditation Standards to Orient New Employees

To build on the success of the best practices projects, the Northwest Partnership hired a regional intern to create a best practices policy document for complying with public health accreditation standards for orienting new employees.  The following documents and templates in the table below were developed by Brandy Sparks and are to be shared across the state.  Several components of this project was replicated in the Southern Piedmont New Employee Orientation intiative.

Back to partnership page

Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) Interactive Online Training Module

Back to partnership page

Workforce Development: Internship Opportunities

In the previous funding cycle, the Northwest Partnership assessed wages and benefits, training and education, and application of new practices among environmental health workers in the region. In completing this continuing initiative, the Partnership will evaluate and implement recommendations resulting from the assessment, including pilot testing a regional internship program. Outcomes will be shared with other partnerships to streamline and standardize the public health student internship curriculum.

Back to partnership page

Best Practice Work Groups and Organizational Efficiency

Due to the success of the Northwest Partnership's existing family practice work group model to address best practices in organizational efficiencies, the Partnership will replicate the model to assess both the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women Infants and Children (WIC) and Maternity Care departments in each participating health department. Additionally, the Northwest Partnership will collaborate with the Southern Piedmont Partnership to kick start a regional Dental Health Task Force. Regional work groups will be established to meet regularly to assist with assessments and provide recommendations for improving organizational efficiencies in their respective departments. Recommendations will be shared statewide.

Back to partnership page

Cultural Diversity and Health Disparities

With the previous years' funding, the Northwest Partnership produced a social justice video to communicate three key messages:

• health disparities exist across cultural economic groups,
• equal access to health promotion and disease prevention should be available to everyone, and
• responsibility for reducing health disparities belongs to everyone.

The Partnership will use current funds to develop a facilitated discussion model to complement the video. Upon completion, a video premier event will be hosted by the Partnership to provide regional health department staff with training on video facilitation and materials for dissemination. The video and training template is available to all interested health departments.

Back to partnership page