The National Academy for State Health Policy (NASHP) is seeking state applications to participate in its Public Health Modernization State Learning Collaborative. This learning opportunity will engage up to five teams of state leaders for one year to develop and/or strengthen policies and strategies to improve cross-sector alignment, coordination, and collaboration between public health and health system stakeholders on key public health goals.
States participating in NASHP’s Public Health Modernization Learning Collaborative will receive one year of strategic planning and related technical assistance support to develop initiatives to strengthen collaboration between public health agencies and health system partners(1) to prevent and address foundational public health conditions that are also high-impact health conditions in the broader health system. Participating states will examine opportunities and best practices for developing cross-agency/cross-sector governance structures aligned around common goals, aligning resources and health system incentives around public health goals, improving information exchange with key partners, and effectively engaging communities in policy development and implementation. This may also include strategies for strengthening data exchange and collaboration between public health agencies, Medicaid programs, and other state agencies that address health to improve health outcomes, as well as engaging with healthcare system partners to expand access to care and/or develop targeted interventions on key public health goals.
What Will States Gain during the Learning Collaborative?
Each state team will receive technical support during a 12-month period starting in October 2022. The Learning Collaborative will provide state leaders with opportunities for peer-to-peer discussion, targeted support on their state policy goals, and access to national expertise. NASHP staff will work with selected states to develop work plans and provide monthly technical assistance calls; states will also participate with one another in collaborative learning engagements at virtual meetings and will have the option of holding one in-state workshop.
State Team Composition
State applications may include a team of up to five members, composed of at least two senior state officials or administrators (such as state Medicaid officials, state public health agency officials, governor’s health policy leaders, legislators, local public health leads, etc.). The team may include additional state staff (leaders from health and human services agencies, departments of insurance, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion leads, community engagement liaisons, data and informatics experts, or other agency leaders) and others who can directly support team goals (e.g., state public health association or institute representatives, local public health leaders, community-based organizations).
Each state team will be expected to:
- Maintain a core team of at least three members; participants from the state’s Medicaid agency and public health department should have decision-making authority within their respective agencies. States are welcome to have additional team members.
- Develop a project plan and work toward accomplishing goals and actionable steps to achieve these goals.
- Participate in monthly individual team technical assistance calls with NASHP staff to identify progress and barriers as well as identify any emerging technical assistance needs.
- Revise project plans as necessary to improve your state’s initiative during the one-year technical assistance period.
- Participate in group activities as planned, including the quarterly state-to-state learning calls.
- Optional in-state convening to advance workplan goals.
Learn More and Apply
Applications should be emailed to Ella Roth (eroth@nashp.org) by COB on Friday, September 16, 2022. To apply to NASHP’s State Learning Collaborative on Public Health Modernization, complete this brief application (Word doc).
More Information: Any questions about the Learning Collaborative application process should be directed to Katie Greene (kgreene@nashp.org).
Public Health Modernization and Key Opportunities for Public Health-Health System Collaboration
The U.S. public health system plays a critical role in protecting and improving the health of people and communities. Although efforts to modernize and strengthen public health systems pre-date COVID-19, the pandemic revealed new urgency and opportunities for states to invest in public health infrastructure and craft new approaches advancing population health goals. NASHP’s public health modernization project will build on many of the important frameworks and recommendations that have guided the broader vision of a modernized public health system. These frameworks include the Bipartisan Policy Center’s Public Health Forward: Modernizing the U.S. Public Health System, the Commonwealth Fund Commission on a National Public Health System’s Meeting America’s Public Health Challenge: Recommendations for Building a National Public Health System That Addresses Ongoing and Future Health Crises, Advances Equity, and Earns Trust, the Public Health National Center for Innovation’s Foundational Public Health Services and Public Health 3.0. In addition, this work is intended to complement public health modernization efforts by partner organizations such as ASTHO and PHAB (21C learning community).
While these frameworks address public health modernization from different perspectives, each emphasizes the importance of building and sustaining partnerships with the health system, business leaders, faith-based leaders, and other community stakeholders in expanding access to critical preventive and health services. By supporting states in “de-siloing public health,” NASHP will work to identify practical strategies for aligning health system and public health efforts around common priorities. State activities may include expansion of access to care in community settings and collaboration on high-level priorities, like reducing the incidence of HIV, maternal mortality, diabetes, and asthma. CDC’s 6|18 and HI-5 initiatives, as well as implementation of State Health Improvement Plans and tying health system investments to community-identified health priorities through Community Health Needs Assessments, serve as examples of cross-sector collaboration on key public/population health goals. NASHP will serve as a resource and convener to help policymakers connect with peers and experts, identify and share strategies and solutions, and provide insights for other state leaders on strategies for building bridges between public health and the broader health system.
[1] Key partners may include state Medicaid agencies, state employee health plans or retiree systems, commercial health systems, CBOs, and more.
Frequently Asked Questions on Application
Technical Support
Over the 12 months of this Learning Collaborative, selected state teams will have regular access to NASHP staff and national experts through state-specific and Collaborative-wide technical support. NASHP is planning for a mix of in-person and virtual technical support opportunities, provided that travel is possible. These opportunities may include optional in-person site visits or workshops held in each state, virtual webinars with all teams, in addition to ongoing individual support through monthly calls that will include an individualized assessment of state policy, regulatory, and administrative barriers.
The amount of technical support each state receives will vary according to state need and state engagement in the project and will be described and agreed upon based on the state’s action plan. Virtual TA support will be provided at least monthly, and each team will have ongoing access to NASHP staff who can provide technical support or connect teams with leading states and national experts in response to identified needs.
In addition to NASHP’s extensive policy expertise and understanding of states’ needs, NASHP has partnered and/or worked with a broad range of state and national experts on diverse issues. Based on the needs of selected states, NASHP will draw from these extensive contacts to create a list of project faculty who can be available for state technical assistance needs on a limited basis. This faculty will complement NASHP’s own knowledge base and enhance the capacity of the team to address and anticipate state issues.
States accomplish meaningful policy change through long-term, sustained effort. Throughout its over thirty-year history, similar NASHP projects have helped states achieve concrete and meaningful milestones on the path to policy change, such as:
- Passage of state legislation related to health policy
- State plan amendment and waiver approval
- Implementation of Medicaid strategies to support policy goals
- Improved use of data for state policy decision-making
- Identification and removal of administrative and regulatory barriers
While state outcomes will not be evaluated, NASHP will develop public reports and issue briefs to share best practices and promising policy strategies learned from states participating in the Learning Collaborative.
Eligibility
NASHP’s Learning Collaborative is open to all states that are committed to improving cross-sector alignment, coordination, and collaboration between public health and health system stakeholders(1) on key public health goals. With many states currently taking on public health modernization initiatives and leveraging federal funding to make investments in public health infrastructure, strengthening linkages and information exchange with the broader health system and community partners will be critical to improving health outcomes and ensuring access to foundational public health services for all communities. This Learning Collaborative is intended to complement and build on existing public health modernization efforts by highlighting additional strategies for strengthening collaboration with health system and community partners. States participating in federal initiatives or receiving federal funding and other services are eligible to apply.
(1) Key partners may include state Medicaid agencies, state employee health plans or retiree systems, commercial health systems, CBOs, and more.
NASHP is not looking for a specific type of project, although states may be selected based on common themes that emerge across state applications. This Learning Collaborative aims to support states in developing initiatives to strengthen collaboration between public health agencies and health system partners to prevent and address significant public health conditions that are also high-impact health conditions across health systems. NASHP will support state teams with defining goals and developing a strategic plan, provide individual and group technical support, guided by an analysis of existing state public health infrastructure, state health priorities, and opportunities. From our work with states, we anticipate a range of projects related to aligning stakeholder strategies and actions around common health priorities. CDC’s 6|18 and HI-5 initiatives, as well as implementation of State Health Improvement Plans and tying health system investments to community-identified health priorities through Community Health Needs Assessments, serve as examples of cross-sector collaboration on key public/population health goals.
Yes, states are encouraged to apply regardless of the extent to which the state has previously implemented previous effort to identity statewide health priorities and align stakeholder efforts on implementation. With each state’s unique public health and healthcare infrastructure, NASHP understands that strategies may look very different across states. State activities may focus on initiatives related to a narrow set of public health priorities (e.g. reducing maternal mortality, incidence of asthma, or the spread of HIV), or may include a wider range of population health goals.
Team Composition
No, participation from senior Medicaid and public health agency and/or division officials with decision-making authority is critical to represent state views and provide connection to those agencies needed to facilitate policy and programmatic change.
No; however, NASHP is looking for participation from state officials in a leadership position, with decision-making authority, who can represent the views of these agencies.
While participation from senior leadership is required, the team lead does not need to be the senior leadership member from Medicaid or the public health agency or division. The team lead may be another state official represented on the team. The team leader will serve as the primary point of contact between NASHP staff and your state team. This person will coordinate team requests and responses and should be someone who is familiar with and active in the state project and goals.
NASHP will only select one team from any given state.
Application
The application does not have a page or word limit; however, NASHP encourages interested state teams to answer the questions briefly, but with sufficient information to assess your state’s initiative against the criteria listed on the Request for Applications.
NASHP anticipates a robust set of applicants but encourages anyone interested and eligible to apply. NASHP will consider each application carefully and will ultimately select those applicants whose applications best align with the guidelines outlined in the RFA. The Public Health Modernization State Learning Collaborative is supported by the Commonwealth Fund.
