Abstract
Problem:
Title V Block Grant transformation, along with continuing ripple effects other health transformation impacts, has led to widespread acknowledgement of the need for a public health workforce well-versed in change management and systems integration. Ongoing pressure to demonstrate impact and communicate compelling results reinforce the requirement for evidence-based decision making. During the past decade, broad and systemic changes in the role of government in health and human services have led to budget cuts, deficits, hiring freezes, and public health systems transformations. These changes have altered the required knowledge and skill sets necessary for the public health workforce to effectively lead the clarion call for the overall transformation of Title V. The purpose of this proposal is to catalyze implementation of a multi-year, comprehensive plan for national workforce development for state and jurisdictional Title V agency leaders and staff. Our explicit vision is to more fully equip the maternal and child health (MCH) workforce to meet the challenges inherent in a dynamic, unpredictable, and rapidly transforming environment, specifically in the areas of 1) systems integration, 2) change management/adaptive leadership, and 3) evidence-based decision making.
Goals and objectives:
Goal 1: Develop and sustain a responsive national MCH Workforce Development Center. Goal 2: Assess national need/demand for workforce development in three key areas of the Center related to implementation of health transformation among Title V leaders and staff. Goal 3: Assure the pipeline of MCH professionals is equipped with skills needed to address the demands of health transformation in contemporary MCH practice. Goal 4: Assure current Title V leaders and staff are equipped with skills needed to address the demands of health transformation in contemporary MCH practice by providing an array of training opportunities that meet the diverse workforce development needs of Title V leaders and staff in the three key areas.
Methodology:
The proposed scope of work builds on the existing services and infrastructure of the National MCH Workforce Development Center (Center), currently housed at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The central goal for the Center is to create a continuum of learning and engagement opportunities for Title V leaders and staff, as well as MCH graduate and undergraduate pipeline students, to develop the competencies required of contemporary public health leaders. Knowledge and skills in systems integration, change management/adaptive leadership and evidence-based decision making will be conveyed using online courses, seminars, in-person and virtual training, technical assistance, coaching and dissemination of best practices. Approaches will be guided by the needs of end users through ongoing assessment, monitoring and evaluation. The Center will utilize a collaborative approach that capitalizes on academic and practice partners' extensive expertise in health transformation, systems integration, change management and evidence-based decision making. Existing and new training materials and curricula will be available to current and prospective MCH professionals through mixed modalities and multiple channels, expediting the translation of new knowledge to practice. The Center will offer trainings at varying levels of intensity to meet varying needs of Title V leaders and staff. The Training Plan includes offerings appropriate for self-paced online learning in the key training areas as well as longer term project-based experiences that engage multi-sector state teams with a focus on application of skills in all key training areas.POPULATIONS SERVED: Current and prospective MCH professionals, with emphasis on Title V.