Recognizing the Importance of NACCHO’s Profile Study to Public Health

Mar 04, 2019 | NacchoVoice

By JP Leider, Senior Lecturer at the University of Minnesota, Associate Faculty at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, and independent consultant based out of Minneapolis, MN

As NACCHO’s Profile Study returns to the field, I’ve decided to share a reminder of its importance to public health and thank practitioners.

The field of governmental public health is a complicated one. Between our state, local, territorial, and tribal health departments, there are something like 3,000 agencies devoted to the promotion and protection of population health. As someone who studies and works to support those organizations, large-scale datasets that enumerate their activities and characteristics are absolutely critical. I recognize big datasets don’t always sound like the most exciting things in the world. But these datasets, like NACCHO’s National Profile of Local Health Departments (Profile) Study, help us project workforce shortages, keep up with Electronic Health Record uptake at local health departments (LHDs), and figure out just how much the nation is spending on public health and whether it is worth it (spoiler: it is).

I consider the Profile Study one of the three tentpole research projects in our field. While the Profile Study tells us all about local and regional health departments, its corollary at the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO) tells us about the state health agencies. The third is relatively recent and only possible because of the first two. The Public Health Workforce Interests and Needs Survey (PH WINS) is a public health workforce survey with 47,000 respondents. Findings from the 2017 fielding are out at JPHMP now. The Profile Study was used (and needed) to be able to pull off such a large-scale effort.

What does NACCHO’s Profile Study let researchers and practitioners do?

Personally, I’ve used the Profile Study in about 30 of the peer-reviewed articles I’ve written and published in the last decade. There is no other resource quite like it.

Its success depends on the largess of LHD staff themselvesin a time where folks are over-surveyed and overburdened, completing the Profile Study is a daunting task. But it’s critical! Without these data, our ability to provide education to policymakers and advocates diminishes greatly. Being able to say that over 2,000 LHDs across all 50 states responded to a survey identifying staffing, activities, and needs is incredibly powerful.

As the Profile Study goes back into the field over these next few months, a thanks to the practitioners doing the hard workand a reminder to my research and pracademic colleagues to keep using these data.


About NacchoVoice

More posts by NacchoVoice

Related Posts

Cover and Spine for MAPP 2 0 Handbook Copy Page 1
  • Mobilizing for Action through Planning and Partnerships (MAPP)
  • Performance Improvement
  • Workforce Development

Register to Attend a Mobilizing for Action through...

Registration is now open for NACCHO’s in-person Mobilizing for Action through...

Mar 23, 2024 | Andrea Grenadier

Register to Attend a Mobilizing for Action through...

I Stock 1348095101
  • Funding Opportunity
  • Health Equity & Social Justice
  • Opportunity
  • Performance Improvement

DEADLINE EXTENDED: Request for Applications: Building...

This opportunity is designed to provide funding and capacity-building training,...

Mar 21, 2024 | Andrea Grenadier

DEADLINE EXTENDED: Request for Applications: Building...

Management illustration 2
  • Tools & Resources
  • Webinar
  • Performance Improvement

2024 Webinar Series: Public Health Essentials for Health...

The Public Health Management Corporation (PHMC), in partnership with the Public...

Mar 15, 2024 | Andrea Grenadier

2024 Webinar Series: Public Health Essentials for Health...

I Stock 1262600344 working together
  • Funding Opportunity
  • Opportunity
  • Performance Improvement
  • Workforce Development

Requests for Proposals: NACCHO is Seeking Content...

NACCHO, in partnership with the CDC, is seeking content developers to create...

Mar 11, 2024 | Andrea Grenadier

Requests for Proposals: NACCHO is Seeking Content...

Roots logo with spectrum
  • Tools & Resources
  • Health Equity & Social Justice
  • Social Determinants of Health

NACCHO to Launch Revamped Roots of Health Inequity...

This July, the Health Equity and Social Justice team at NACCHO is proud to...

Mar 11, 2024 | Charles Udeze

NACCHO to Launch Revamped Roots of Health Inequity...

I Stock 1437535164
  • Funding Opportunity
  • Health Ethics & Law
  • Performance Improvement
  • Workforce Development

Request for Proposals (RFP): Public Health Ethics...

NACCHO seeks a consultant with demonstrated expertise and experience in public...

Mar 05, 2024 | Andrea Grenadier

Request for Proposals (RFP): Public Health Ethics...

I Stock 1131109283
  • Webinar
  • Performance Improvement
  • Workforce Development

New Webinar Series: Public Health Essentials for Health...

The Public Health Management Corporation in partnership with the Public Health...

Mar 04, 2024 | Andrea Grenadier

New Webinar Series: Public Health Essentials for Health...

I Stock 1401105784
  • Funding Opportunity
  • Performance Improvement
  • Rural and Frontier Health
  • Technical Assistance

Request for Proposals: NACCHO Seeking a Consultant to...

The focus of this RFP is to provide NACCHO with support in the delivery of TA...

Mar 04, 2024 | Andrea Grenadier

Request for Proposals: NACCHO Seeking a Consultant to...

Screenshot 823
  • Funding Opportunity
  • AmeriCorps
  • Workforce Development

Request for Proposals: Case Studies for Successful...

NACCHO, in partnership with CDC, is seeking a consultant to develop up to...

Mar 01, 2024 | Andrea Grenadier

Request for Proposals: Case Studies for Successful...

Back to Top