Public Health Introduction

States that Stand Out

SUCCESS STORIES

Arizona, California and Virginia
The challenges of bioterrorism and tracking communicable diseases have underscored the need for enhanced capacity in state public health labs. These states have spent tens of millions of dollars to open new, state-of-the-art labs, enabling them to better handle public health emergencies.

Arkansas
With the nation short on public health workers, the state set aside 5 percent of its tobacco settlement monies to run a new college of public health at the University of Arkansas. Department of Health officials teach at the college, and state employees get a 70 percent tuition break.

Missouri
Missouri posts community data profiles available on state, district and county levels for more than 25 subject areas, including chronic disease, unintentional injury and hospitalizations. The tables generate links to additional information, such as intervention strategies, resources and reports. Viewers can also access a “leading problems” profile for each community.

Nebraska
Nebraska is a model in how to develop a local public health system. The state responded to the serious deficiencies in local public health — just 22 of its 93 counties were being adequately served — by creating 14 new departments and restructuring two others. Nearly every resident in the state can now receive services from a local public health department.

North Dakota and Washington
Both states have written detailed plans for improving their public health. In North Dakota, 545 objectives were condensed into 10 broad health topics to comprise the strategic health plan, and the health department is partnering with the University of North Dakota to develop a corresponding legislative strategy. Since 1994, Washington biannually has published a state Public Health Improvement Plan that sets out standards, recommendations and strategies in seven key areas of public health.

Wisconsin
Several states accredit local health departments. In Wisconsin, the state has gone further by dangling the carrot of extra funding for departments that can meet higher-than-average standards. As a result, 85 percent of the local health departments have now achieved high-level certification.

TROUBLE SPOTS

Colorado
The state’s ability to promote childhood immunization has been stymied by severe budget cuts; no general fund money now supports vaccination programs. Colorado continues to receive federal funding for these programs, but this may not be enough to lift the state out of last place when it comes to childhood immunization.

Hawaii
In 2000, the University of Hawaii’s school of public health lost its accreditation. The university’s medical school absorbed pieces of public health programs, while state and university officials worked to rebuild a separate public health school. Those efforts stalled last June when the university ended its search for management for the school, and the state health department is proceeding under the assumption that an independent school may never reopen.

Massachusetts
Massachusetts not only gutted its anti-tobacco programs, it did so after posting some of the country’s best successes at preventing young people from smoking. The state’s anti-tobacco budget has been slashed from $48 million to $2.5 million, eliminating an effective television advertising campaign and scaling back local efforts to make tobacco less available to minors.

Copyright © 2004, Congressional Quarterly, Inc. Reproduction in any form without the written permission of the publisher is prohibited. Governing, City & State and Governing.com are registered trademarks of Congressional Quarterly, Inc.