A Public Health Process: Focus on States
Public health is what we, as a society, do collectively to assure the conditions in which people can be healthy.
Institute of Medicine 1988
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This Data Matters is a joint activity of the Georgetown National TA Center and the Children, Youth & Families Division of the National Association of State Mental Health Program Directors, Workgroup on a Public Health Approach to Children's Mental Health.
The traditional public health approach includes the three core functions and ten essential services.
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Additional Resources: |
Identifying and Selecting Evidence-Based Interventions: Revised Guidance Document for the Strategic Prevention Framework State Incentive Grant Program (Jan 2009)
The purpose of this guidance document is to assist State and community planners in applying SAMHSA’s Strategic Prevention Framework (SPF) to identify and select evidence-based interventions that address local needs and reduce substance abuse problems.
National Association of County & City Health Officials (NACCHO)
Public Health Advocacy at NACCHO
NACCHO aims to promote the concerns of local public health in the nation's capital by: 1) educating members of Congress and other policymakers about local public health issues, 2) analyzing the impact on local public health of legislative and regulatory actions, 3) disseminating legislative alerts and legislative reports to all local public health departments, and 4) providing the latest updates on key public health issues.
Bright Futures Tools
Based on the Bright Futures in Practice: Mental Health, the four developmental tools offer a framework for providers and families to begin a conversation together about how best to support healthy social emotional development in children and teens. The tools gently encourage families who have any questions or concerns about their child’s development to check it out and offer a number of tips for when, where, and how to seek help through local, State, or national resources.
Mental Health - A Public Health Approach
Developing a Prevention-Oriented Mental Health System in Washington State, 2007
This document describes a public health approach to mental illness prevention and mental health promotion and is intended to spark a dialog about how to advance such an approach in Washington State. Part 1 explores what is meant by a public health approach and addresses whether mental disorders truly are preventable. Part 2 discuses mental health needs and mental illness service needs particular to five age groups. Part 3 attempts to integrate the first two parts to articulate a public health, prevention-oriented approach to a mental health system that addresses the needs of the population across the entire lifespan.
Prevention Efforts Summary Report: The Mental Health Transformation Project (April 2009)
This report summarizes work from the Prevention Summit held on May 13, 2008. From the Summit emerged 5 policy statements that reflected the priorities of the participants as well as 6 additional recommendations. From this work, three prevention/early intervention related projects were funded.
Information from CSAP and the State Epidemiological Outcome Workgroup (SEOW) re: EPI contacts in States.
Ohio's Public Health and Mental Health Integration Initiatives.
For more information on the Public Health Approach to Children’s Mental Health, please visit our Data Matters archives to access previously featured resources:
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Core Functions: Assessing, Intervening and Ensuring
In the new conceptual framework the three core functions of a traditional public health approach are adapted for children’s mental health in this conceptual framework. They outline a process that provides the information, interventions and evaluation necessary to create a comprehensive and coordinated approach to optimizing mental health for all children.
Assessing: Assessing involves gathering data about positive aspects of mental health as well as mental health problems at the population level. Data are also gathered about factors that influence children’s mental health. These data are collectively analyzed and used to drive decisions about intervening.
Intervening: Intervening can include policy, programs, services, environmental change, education, and social marketing. These activities can take place at an individual, community, tribal, and state level. While they can occur across the entire population or for populations of focus, the benefits are felt across the population.
Ensuring: a process of making sure that intervening is done with a high level of quality, effectiveness and sustainability. Ensuring also addresses the need to be sure that those providing interventions are adequately trained. This function also provides that all children as well as their families have access to interventions that may benefit them.
Public health is population-based
Population focus means…
- Programs are based on community need determined through assessment of the community’s health status.
- Everyone possessing the same risk, concern, or characteristics are considered.
- The broad determinants of health are considered, not just the causes of disease.
- Programs include a prevention component, with preference for primary prevention.
- Practice is directed at all levels of intervention…
- Communities
- Systems
- Individuals, families, groups
States are moving forward to implement public health approaches to children’s mental health:
It is clear that states are moving towards a public health approach and there are many examples to learn from. There is work ahead to identify promising practices underway in states. Additional work is needed to understand how to proceed with implementing a public health approach - the three core functions, and ten essential elements. A public health approach must take into consideration the unique needs of the population of focus - it must therefore be adapted for children’s unique mental health and developmental needs.
Tell your stories about work underway in your state to address the three core functions of a public health approach:
- Assessing
- Intervening
- Ensuring
What
are your thoughts (submit comments below)?
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