About Us

The Office of Public Health Practice, within the Office of Public Health, coordinates the state's community health improvement plan known as the Prevention Agenda toward the Healthiest State. The Prevention Agenda identifies 10 public health priorities for improving the health of New Yorkers, sets measurable objectives for 2013 and calls on hospitals and community stakeholders to work together to determine and address their local priorities. The Prevention Agenda objectives are consistent with the national Healthy People goals.

Units

  • The Local Health Services Group that manages the administrative, technical and financial support provided to local health departments to ensure they have adequate capacity to deliver essential public health services.
  • The Public Health Information Group that makes public health information useful, timely and accessible to local health departments and their partner organizations.

Initiatives

Public Health Workforce Development: Builds statewide public health capacity and is aimed at addressing the recruitment, retention, training and leadership challenges facing the public health workforce. Through this initiative:

  • State and local public health workshop are identified and recognized to demonstrate how Public Health Works.
  • Distance learning opportunities through the New York Learns Public Health, the state's Learning Management System (LMS), are provided. The New York Learns Public Health LMS enables learners and agencies to assess training needs, identify course recommendations linked to training needs, and maintains a comprehensive training record.

Performance Management: Integrates performance management into state, regional and local health departments and help meet the 2011 accreditation standards for public health performance management.

The New York Public Health Practice Based Research Network: Studying the effectiveness, efficiency, and equity of public health strategies used in state and local public health departments. The Network is made up of staff from state and local health departments, universities and community-based organizations, and is funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.