2008 Public Health Action Plan Update: Celebrating Our First Five Years

Action Plan Return to Action Plan Main Page  Sections Overview Milestones/Landmark Events Key Messages Action Plan: Celebrating 5 Years Reflections from the Chair of the Forum Commentary from AHA Commentary from ASTHO Commentary from NACDD and CHC Reducing Heart Disease and Stroke in the U.S. Burden and Disparities Today Making Connections Mission Statements/Strategies Review of  Components and Recommendations Action Framework Implementation Group's Priorities for 2008/2009 Appendix A Appendix B

Implementation Groups' Selected Priority Actions 2008–2009

During the National Forum’s review and update of A Public Health Action Plan to Prevent Heart Disease and Stroke, each of the seven Implementation Groups proposed priorities for 2008–2009. These priorities are listed at the end of each Group’s recommendations and action steps. Below is a summary of these priorities.

Next year, the National Forum will move forward with a number of activities based on the priorities proposed by the Implementation Groups. In addition, the National Forum will also explore ways to address selected policy issues and the impact of sodium intake on cardiovascular disease.

1. Communications Implementation Group

MISSION

To effectively communicate the urgency and importance of preventing heart disease and stroke through a long-term strategy of public information and education.

RECOMMENDATION

The urgency and promise of preventing heart disease and stroke and their precursors (i.e., atherosclerosis, high blood pressure, and their risk factors and determinants) must be communicated effectively by the public health community through a new long-term strategy of public information and education. This new strategy must engage policy makers and other stakeholders at the global, national, state and local levels. As a matter of emphasis, special consideration must be paid to those most at risk. Communication strategies should utilize the most current forms of available technology as well as those communications devices that are accessible in various communities in the U.S and globally.

Action Step:  Assess requirements for effective messages. Set the agenda for a long-term, national public information strategy that conveys the importance and feasibility of prevention. Craft clear and compelling messages that capture public attention, help people understand cardiovascular health (CVH) and its risks, and support healthy behavioral changes. Include a social marketing strategy to identify audiences, develop effective national messages, and determine media avenues (e.g., peer-reviewed journals, CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, community report cards). Communicate consistent CVH information and messages to the public, health professionals, and policy makers.

Expected Outcome: Key messages for the National Forum are refined and are being incorporated into all communications vehicles.

2. Public Health Leadership and Partnership Implementation Group

MISSION

To foster effective leadership and partnership for preventing heart disease and stroke.

RECOMMENDATION

The nation’s public health agencies, their partners, and the public must provide the necessary leadership for a comprehensive public health strategy to prevent heart disease and stroke.

Action Step: Establish and improve partnerships to develop, implement, and evaluate plans to address heart disease and stroke.

Expected Outcome: There is adequate representation of partners on planning groups; guidance is being provided for development and implementation of comprehensive state plans; partners are committing resources and sharing accountability for the state plan; the state plan is evaluated.

Action Step: Educate key decision makers to support heart disease and stroke prevention policies and programs.

Expected Outcome: The State Plan Index for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention is finalized; the Resource Tool is finalized; marketing strategy to promote or enhance state partnerships and leadership is developed, and a training curriculum for persons to utilize the State Plan Index and Resource Tool to foster effective collaborations is developed; training is presented to select states and their partners on the State Plan Index and Resource Tool.

3. Action Priorities Implementation Group

MISSION

To identify effective policies in cardiovascular health (CVH) promotion and cardiovascular disease prevention at the national, state, and local levels to ensure effective public health action against heart disease and stroke.

RECOMMENDATION

Initiate policy development in CVH promotion and CVD prevention at national, state, and local levels to assure effective public health action against heart disease and stroke. In addition, evaluate policies in non-health sectors (e.g., education, agriculture, transportation, community planning) for their potential impact on health, especially with respect to CVD.

Action Step: Develop, implement, and update annually an advocacy plan for the APIG priority policies (Prevention of Risk Factors, Chain of survival, Quality-of-Care, Disparities, Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention programs in all 50 states).

Expected Outcome: Policies have been selected; actions are being taken on behalf of policies in accordance with an advocacy plan; policies are being passed or implemented.

4. Organizational Capacity Implementation Group

MISSION

To build the capacity of federal, state, and local public health agencies, including laboratories, to address heart disease and stroke as a priority within a strong chronic disease prevention effort and to develop the needed competencies and resources.

RECOMMENDATION

Facilitate and promote training resources to develop and maintain appropriately trained public health workforces at national, state, and local levels. These workforces should have all necessary competencies to bring about policy, environmental, and systems changes and implement programs to improve CVH and decrease the heart disease and stroke burden, including laboratory requirements.

Action Step: Utilize the National Forum’s Web site and links to other appropriate Web sites to establish a clearinghouse for training opportunities and other resources related to the assessment and improvement of program capacity and competencies, and voluntary accreditation related to heart disease and stroke prevention. This will include the identification and sharing of best practices and state success stories.

Expected Outcome: The National Forum Web site is a prime resource for building public health capacity to prevent heart disease and stroke. The Web site is used by National Forum members and partners to disseminate current information, research, promote evidence-based practices and share training opportunities.

RECOMMENDATION

Identify, develop and disseminate model performance standards and core competencies in HDSP for national, state, and local public health agencies, including their laboratories.

Action Step: Facilitate development and dissemination of performance standards and core competencies for public health agencies and partners. Promote ongoing access to technical assistance, laboratory and clinical practice guidelines and performance standards for laboratory testing and standardization, and consultation to state and local health agencies, laboratories and partners for HDSP. Share performance standards and cultural competency guidelines with schools of public health and other educational sources for health professionals and encourage their adoption in curricula.

Expected Outcome: Performance standards and cultural competency guidelines for HDSP programs are established to help public health agencies transcend “business as usual” and undertake new directions in public health practice. Existing mandates are maintained, and efforts are expanded in early intervention (i.e., policy and environmental change; behavioral change; and prevention, detection, and control of risk factors). Laboratory capacity to address emerging issues is enhanced. Public health agencies are communicating with schools of public health and other training programs regarding training and curriculum requirements for public health personnel working in HDSP and related program areas.

5. Monitoring and Evaluation Implementation Group

MISSION

To monitor the burden of heart disease and stroke and measure progress in the prevention and treatment of heart disease and stroke by

• Expanding and standardizing population data sources and activities.
• Establishing frameworks, methods, and core indicators for evaluation of policy, environmental, and systems change interventions.
• Developing professional staff capacity for monitoring and evaluation.

RECOMMENDATION

Enhance the public health infrastructure, build personnel competencies, and facilitate the development and effective use of communication mechanisms so that federal, state, and local public health agencies can disseminate and use surveillance and evaluation results in a timely and effective manner.

Action Step: Provide guidance to state and local health agencies and partners regarding capacity requirements for surveillance and evaluation activities.

Expected Outcome: State and local public health agencies are receiving help in determining what capacities they need to conduct surveillance/monitoring and to evaluate their programs.

Action Step: Establish resources to support program evaluation and surveillance through training, consultation, technical assistance, and partnerships to develop logic models, methodology, data collection, and reporting.

Expected Outcome: A plan for meeting these requirements is developed and implemented.

6. Policy Research Implementation Group

MISSION

To develop a comprehensive policy research agenda, foster translating this research into practice, and investigate relevant economic models.

RECOMMENDATION

Conduct and facilitate research with partners to identify new policy, environmental, social, and economic priorities for CVH promotion; determine the appropriate methods for translation and dissemination of knowledge; and, fund research to identify best practices for effective interventions to translate science into practice.

Action Step: Develop an expert workshop on economics of heart disease and stroke prevention in order to develop an economics and policy research agenda to inform public health and systems change in prevention, detection, and management of cardiovascular risk factors. Include experts in health economics, health policy research, heart disease and stroke, and public health.

Expected Outcome: The workshop has been convened, criteria for developing priorities have been developed and applied in prioritizing recommendations, and a dissemination strategy is in place regarding publication, advocacy, and funding.

7. Regional and Global Collaboration Implementation Group

MISSION

To engage regional and global partners to mobilize resources in heart disease and stroke prevention and treatment.

RECOMMENDATION

Engage with regional and global partners to mobilize resources in CVH promotion and CVD prevention and establish or strengthen liaison with partners identified in these recommendations.

Action Step: Inventory existing and potential partners for global CVH collaboration, with support from public health agencies and other partners. Include governmental agencies, nongovernmental organizations, and foundations (e.g., especially the World Health Organization, World Heart Federation, and World Bank).

Expected Outcome: Inventories of existing regional and global CVH partnerships, potential nontraditional CVH partnerships, and foundations that support international activities for medical and public health training are established and maintained.

RECOMMENDATION

Strengthen global capacity to develop, implement, and evaluate policy and program interventions to prevent and control heart disease and stroke. Involve all relevant parties—governmental and nongovernmental, public and private, and traditional and nontraditional partners—in a systematic and strategic approach.

Action Step: Develop tailored programs to disseminate evidence-based and promising programs and models that 1) assist and support decision makers interested in developing and implementing effective national policies, 2) develop methodology and tools to analyze the health impact of policy interventions, and 3) analyze the social and economic costs of heart disease and stroke and the benefits of preventing them.

Expected Outcome: Development of capacity for heart disease and stroke prevention is recognized as a long-term requirement for transforming public health agencies. Culturally sensitive and resource specific training programs and workshops are available and being used. International conferences are conducted on the economics of heart disease and stroke prevention and the links between economic conditions and CVH.

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Page last reviewed: August 18, 2008
Page last modified: August 18, 2008
Content source: Division for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion