8/14/2009
Terre Haute, Indiana

Local community leaders in health and human services convened at the Landsbaum Center for Health Education in Terre Haute, Indiana on August 14, 2009 from 8:30 am to 1:00 pm to assess the performance of Vigo County's local public health system. The Indiana State Department of Health (ISDH) and Dr. Judith Monroe, supports the assessment process through the Indiana Public Health System Quality Improvement Program. This initiative brought together the diverse individuals and organizations that work to protect and improve the health of Vigo County and serves as means to assess the strengths and weaknesses of the "system." Partners in the Rural Health Innovation Collaborative (RHIC) including the City of Terre Haute, Indiana State University, Indiana University School of Medicine, Ivy Tech Community College, Union Hospital's Richard G. Lugar Center for Rural Health and the Terre Haute Economic Development Corporation, co-sponsored the event along with the Vigo County Health Department.

The Vigo County Local Public Health System Assessment is intended to provide data needed for evidence-based improvement in the quality of public health practice and the performance of the overall system by providing the following benefits to our community:

• Improving organizational and community communication and collaboration.
• Educating participants about public health and the interconnectedness of activities, leading to a greater appreciation and awareness of the many duties related to health improvement in Vigo County
• Strengthening the diverse network of partners within state and local public health systems.
• Identifying strengths and weaknesses that can be addressed in quality improvement efforts.
• Providing benchmarks for system based public health and healthcare practice improvements.

The 10 Essential Public Health Services that were evaluated by this assessment included:

1. Monitoring health status to identify community health problems.
2. Diagnosing and investigating health problems and hazards in the community.
3. Informing, educating, and empowering people about health issues.
4. Mobilizing community partnerships to identify and solve health problems.
5. Developing policies and plans that support individual and community health efforts.
6. Enforcing laws and regulations that protect health and ensure safety.
7. Linking people to needed personal health services and assure the provision of health care when otherwise unavailable.
8. Assuring a competent public health and personal health care workforce.
9. Evaluating effectiveness, accessibility, and quality of personal and population-based health services.
10. Research for new insights and innovative solutions to health problems.

Participants that participated in this assessment included:

• Public health agencies.
• Health care providers.
• Public safety agencies.
• State and local government representatives.
• Human service and charity organizations.
• Education and youth development organizations.
• Recreation and arts-related organizations.
• Economic and philanthropic organizations.
• Environmental agencies or organizations.

For more information please contact Stephanie Laws, 812-238-7479.