Local Public Health as Community Health Strategists

The chief health strategist is a newly envisioned role for the “high-achieving” health departments of the near future. Articulated in a report from the Public Health Leadership Forum and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, this role requires that health departments become system-level strategic players in their communities while also responding to changing health needs.

> Download the Community Chief Health Strategist full report

In summary, there are specific systemic conditions that have made the development of this role necessary:

  • The increasing prevalence and incidence of chronic disease is stressing health care and public health systems.
  • Changing demographics, especially from immigration and an aging population, is also stressing health care and public health systems.
  • Increased access to care is reducing the need for clinical public health services, which may free up resources for assuming a strategic role.
  • Information technology is advancing analytical capabilities and communication, so that combined health data from multiple sources can be subject to timely and informative analysis.
  • Wider acknowledgement of the social determinants of health - and a desire to address them - is increasing the need for cross-sector collaborations.
 
This report is a guiding framework for much of CALPHO’s policy, advocacy, initiatives, and research. As chief health strategists, health departments will need to cultivate new talent, like big data analytics, and build lasting partnerships across all sectors of their communities. Colorado’s local public health agencies are already assuming some aspects of this role through the provisions of the Public Health Act of 2008, the 2019 revised core services and capabilities, the Affordable Care Act, and their accreditation efforts with the Public Health Accreditation Board. 
More Resources:

> Public Health Services and Systems Research

> Public Health 3.0 whitepaper from  U.S. Health and Human Services

> Foundational Public Health Services policy statement from NACCHO