Setting priorities

Action Checklist

1. Set criteria for establishing potential priority or focus area
2. Establish process for determination of priorities
3. Deciding health priority or focus areas.

Planning Tools

• Selecting criteria
• Priority-setting techiques
  • Hanlon Method/Basic Prioirity Rating System
  • Dot voting
  • Weighted voting
  • Consensus decison

Action Checklist

1. Set criteria for establishing potential priority or focus area.

   It is important to agree on basic criteria for determining the health priority or focus areas. Consider the criteria used to set priorities in "Prevention Agenda Toward the Healthiest State", Communities working together for a healthier New York: Opportunities to Improve the Health of New Yorkers, and Committee on Leading Health Indicators for Healthy People 2010.

2. Establish a process for final determination of priorities or focus areas.

   Develop a process for recommending and adopting final priorities. Set a cut off date for proposing any changes to this process. Determine what other existing plans or objectives should be explicity considered or incorporated into this assessment plan. Determine how priority areas hsould be related to the agreed vision and scope of the assessment plan.

3. Deciding health priority or focus areas.

   List the issues identified in the county and community health data worksheets. Keep the criteria decided by the group in front, on a chart, paper or blackboard. You can use the the Basic Priority Rating System (BPRS), also known as the Hanlon Method, or dot" voting, weighted voting or consensus methods for helping the group identify health focus or priority areas.

-Adapted from Healthy People 2010 Toolkit