Creating a Nonprofit Spin-Off to Implement a Community Health Improvement Plan: A Case Study of a Midsize Health Department in the Midwest.

A common problem faced by local health departments is engaging cross-sector stakeholders to achieve shared community goals. Community engagement is critical for effective Community Health Improvement Plan (CHIP) development and implementation, while also being a standard for health department accreditation. This case study describes one city-county health department's development of a nonprofit arm to act as a catalyst for connecting community leaders to identify and collaboratively address community health goals. First, we describe our process to develop a nonprofit entity and strategically recruit community members to comprise the founding board of directors. Then, we describe methods employed by the nonprofit to create a community action plan in response to identified community health needs and how we incentivized progress. We evaluated our process using a mixed-methods approach and conclude that a nonprofit arm of a health department can be a novel strategy for effectively engaging community stakeholders to advance community health.

A case report: Challenges in COVID-19 modeling at a public health department.

In response to the COVID-19 public health emergency, the Tulsa Health Department created local models. This was an iterative process, with the focus predicting all infections (including asymptomatic and mild cases that would not meet testing criteria,) and deaths for the Tulsa area. SEIR-type models were utilized. Developing infectious disease models is challenging due to data issues related to validity, and complex interrelated assumptions, and this was exacerbated with the COVID-19 crisis. Directly related to these data challenges were challenges with communicating without spreading misinformation, and being clear about the model limitations.

Evolution of an academic-public library partnership.

A partnership to improve access to health information via an urban public library system was established in St. Louis, Missouri, in 2011. A multiyear project was outlined that included an information needs assessment, a training class for public library staff, information kiosks at library branches for delivering printed consumer health materials, and a series of health-related programming. The partnership evolved to include social service and community organizations to carry out project goals and establish a sustainable program that met the health and wellness interests of the community.