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The E Word
Many of us are rethinking how we talk about key public health values. But you know what? Some of the words we often reach for—including equity—were never landing the way we hoped. So, what if we meet this moment with a fresh commitment to saying what we really mean? Check out these evidence-based strategies that are rooted in public health values, connect with more people, and move the conversation forward.
What’s all the hype about Results-Based Accountability?
When I was a Health Educator, I worked with a team to launch a Positive Community Norms (PCN) campaign to highlight how most students choose not to use substances. Afterwards, I presented to a Community Advisory Committee on the campaign and remember someone asking, “Would you do it again? How do you know it made a difference for kids?” I paused...and didn’t have a great answer.
One way to avoid this situation is to use a framework called Results-Based Accountability (RBA).
Why Bus Lines Aren’t Run by Health Departments
As public health practitioners, we understand that many drivers of health are beyond the traditional scope of our departments. I recently heard someone say, “I can’t create a bus system run by the health department!” It was a lighthearted comment – but it captured a serious truth: the challenges we face are too complex for any one agency to solve alone. By centering communities most impacted by health inequities, we can design interventions that are effective, equitable, and publicly supported.
And— good news! —we have tools to help us think about how we build partnerships with community.
What goes around comes around: Planning for the next CHA/CHIP report cycle
Have you recently submitted your Community Health Assessment and Community Health Improvement Plan (CHA/CHIP)? Congratulations! That calls for a celebration! And it’s a great time to start thinking about what steps you’ll take for the next one. You may be surprised how fast five years can go by in the world of public health. Here are a few tips to make sure you are staying on track to avoid rushing at the end.
DIY or delegate? Plan your message and call in help when you need it.
Communicating clearly, creatively, and consistently with the communities we serve is essential. And bringing in outside experts can amplify messages and boost capacity. Whether you’re looking to flex your own creative, design, and project coordination talents or you’re ready to hand it over to the experts, start with a plan and ask the right questions.
Avoiding Distractions: How Aims Statements Can Help
A public health nurse, former English teacher, and a planner walk into a conference room. Their task? Build innovative public health infrastructure. Ah, yes. A nice, easy, clear task.
This was the start of our MDH Infrastructure grant work. So where did we start?! We began by creating an aims statement (sometimes called a problem statement).
How do you spell policy? R-E-S-P-E-C-T
When I was assigned to write about Policy Development and Support, I thought I’d drawn the short straw--the bottom of the barrel,“clearly-you-have-done-something-wrong-and-this-is-your-penance” topic. Why would you, brilliant reader, spend time reading a blog post on why policies and procedures are important? What is there to say on this topic that doesn’t initiate an eye roll, or send you clicking away to the next post?
But after a bit of attitude adjustment, I realized something: policy is all about respect.
One way to incorporate more coffee into your workday
If I asked you to raise your virtual hand if you love coffee, I am sure many of you reading this would have a hand up. Now what if I asked you to raise your hand if you love conducting assessments for public health programs? While assessments are important and can be enjoyable, there may not be as many hands that quickly raise up. What if you could combine the two for a public health assessment tool?
Bike helmet or grizzly bear?
One cultural mindset that’s getting a lot of play right now? The idea that “natural” is better than “artificial.” And you know what? We don’t have to fight it. We can use that mindset to talk about public health values. But framing it as a choice between extremes won’t spark productive thinking. Read on to find out what will.
Grandma’s Blue House: A change management case study
Growing up, I was the kid that hated change. My grandma had a very blue living room--walls, couch, shag carpet, even the picture frames were all blue. One year she decided to yank it all out and upgrade to a more nuanced look. Six-year-old Steph was not having this sudden and unexpected change. As an adult, I’m better with change, but there are some key aspects to change management that make it easier for me. Let’s see what the research has to say.
Building Strong Foundations: Strategic Prevention Framework (SPF) in Action
Have you ever been asked to prevent a complex health issue and weren’t sure where to start? This can be common in public health. The Strategic Prevention Framework (SPF) offers a structured, community-centered approach to addressing substance misuse, and other health issues, effectively.
From Data to Wisdom: Applying Quantitative and Qualitative Data
In public health, we are continuously looking over or collecting data to better understand the needs of our community. But does having data mean we understand a community?
Building Trust Before the Storm: Reflections on Crisis and Emergency Risk Communication Training (CERC)
Building trust and credibility over time—through things like regular engagement with local media, growing our social media presence, and forging partnerships across sectors—lays the groundwork to communicate well, and do it quickly, when it matters most.
An Antidote to Isolation and Loneliness
United States Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy recently named loneliness, isolation, and lack of connection a public health crisis. These feelings are not just personal struggles—they have a profound impact on our collective wellbeing.
At the heart of this crisis is a need for connection. We as people want to feel that our lives matter and that we are seen, heard, and valued. While we may never fully grasp the ripple effects our lives have on others, our ability to communicate can be a powerful antidote to isolation. Here’s how.
Crushing It! Using Performance Data to Make Better Decisions
How many of us have created a workplan with goals, objectives, action items, and were proud of the work we outlined in there and thought, “I’ll get to defining the performance measures later,” but “later” never came?
Or maybe we’ve found ourselves on the flip side. We took the time to count and measure everything we could think of and realized later that it was a lot of administrative burden to track all this data that didn’t help us improve our program?
I ask because I’ve put myself in both of those situations. So, let’s talk about how to create a great performance management system!
Exploring Creative Ways to Collect Data: Dot Voting
Are you a public health professional tired of using the same method over and over again to collect data? You may be one of the many who are constantly requesting others to fill a quick survey, give an interview, or participate in a focus group. While these are effective data collection methods, everything is better in moderation. In this post, we are not discouraging those platforms or methods but simply exploring other creative data collection methods such as the dot voting method.
Making Equity a Daily Practice
Health equity is more than just a buzzword in public health—it's a practice that requires attention to detail in everyday actions. While large-scale initiatives are vital, public health professionals can create meaningful change through small, intentional actions in our daily work. Ask yourself: Does the data we collect truly represent the communities we serve? Are there simple adjustments we can make to ensure our data is more complete, and actionable, helping us uncover and address gaps in access to services?
Talking Data, Equity, or Partnerships? Start with Values.
Do you have data you want to tell people about? Are health equity topics heavy on your mind, and you want others to understand? Are you working to develop a partnership? Here’s one thing you can do to help your words land in the way you intend.
Know what values the people you’re trying to reach have in common with you, as a public health professional. Name those values. Say them loud, proud, and first. When you take a moment to connect in this way, others may be more ready to hear your data, talk about equity, and take action together.
Shifting Mindsets: Health Individualism and Systemic Understanding
Health individualism can lead to blame and stigma, because it makes it easy to assume that disparities are the result of groups of people making the same bad choices.
Take a guess. Since 2020, has the prevalence of health individualism increased, deceased, or stayed the same across the American public?
Read on for the answer, and to find out what steps you can take to advance a systemic understanding of health.
Can Government Employees Engage in Policy Work?
As public health professionals, we know that policies impact health. From seatbelt laws to minimum age requirements for alcohol, we’ve seen how laws and policies can positively impact health. We’ve also seen how laws and policies can negatively impact health – from segregation to voting restrictions and more. Law is a key determinant of health and an essential tool, when used with equity in mind, to advance health and reduce health disparities.