Program Areas
In addition to serving as the national membership organization for public health institutes (PHIs), NNPHI manages several national programs that engage PHIs, the health care delivery system, national partners, and other stakeholders in efforts that result in measurable improvements to public health structures, systems and outcomes. Current NNPHI program areas include:
Accreditation and Performance Improvement: NNPHI and its member institutes have long recognized the value of supporting agency and systems improvement and have engaged in many activities towards accreditation and performance improvement in public health. Examples of NNPHI accreditation and performance improvement programs include the National Public Health Performance Standards Program (NPHPSP) and Strengthening the Community of Practice for Public Health Improvement (COPPHI).
Evidence-Based Public Health: NNPHI and its member institutes are committed to an evidence-based approach to improve public health. One of the ways NNPHI promotes the use of evidence in public health programs is through our work with the Guide to Community Preventive Services, a collaboration with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The Community Guide is a free CDC resource, developed to help users choose programs and policies that have been systematically reviewed and labeled with a level of effectiveness.
Health in All Policies: NNPHI and its member institutes have extensive expertise in supporting sound decision-making and policy change at all levels, including the work they do to implement public health programs; evaluate programs and the health and needs of communities; and provide training, technical assistance, and resources to partners and communities. NNPHI has a growing portfolio of health policy related projects with its members. Examples include Health Impact Assessments (HIAs) and the Innovations in Public Health Policy Competition.
Leadership and Workforce Development: NNPHI has engaged in leadership development since its inception, housing the Public Health Leadership Society (PHLS) for the past decade. PHLS is an alumni association comprised of graduates of national, state, and regional public health leadership institutes and development programs. PHLS has become a national resource for public health leadership development, leadership consultation, and development of the next generation of public health leaders.
Research and Evaluation: NNPHI staff and its member institutes have extensive experience in implementing evaluation systems for a wide variety of public health programs at the local, state, and national levels across a variety of public health topics. Collectively, our work in evaluation and monitoring contributes to program development, continuous quality improvement, effectiveness, and accountability. A network-wide commitment to translation and dissemination of research and evaluation findings leads to improved public health practice and community health. Examples of NNPHI research and evaluation programs include Public Health Services and Systems Research (PHSSR) and the National Public Health Improvement Initiative (NPHII).