Transcript Funding for State Health Agencies: Status and Impact

Presented by Katherine Barbacci and Katie Sellers
May 19, 2010, 2pm – 3pm (ET)
Question:
I am not sure who is coordinating the survey response for my agency. How
can I find out?
Answer:
A survey link for your agency was forwarded to the Primary Senior Deputy
for your agency. If you do not know who this is, please contact the survey
research team at [email protected] or 571-527-3155.
Question:
I am the Primary Senior Deputy and I have not received an email with the
survey link and/or the email with submission instructions and my agencyspecific PIN.
Answer:
Please contact the survey research team at [email protected] or
571-527-3155. We can provide you with the emails/information.
Question:
I have my survey link and can access the online survey but I cannot move
from one part to the next. The survey does not seem to be live.
Answer:
If you have not begun to complete the survey (by clicking "start survey" on
the bottom of the Intro page), you will not be able to access the various
sections of the survey. You are required to complete the contact information
in Part A before you can move onto the other sections of the survey.
Question:
How do I print a blank copy of the survey?
Answer:
Go to the “intro” section of the survey and scroll down and click on the
“Download ASTHO Blank Survey” link.
Question:
Is it possible for us to get a copy of the ASTHO survey as a word
document? We need to distribute the survey to the various departments
responsible for the question areas, and it would help greatly if we could give
them a word document to fill in.
Answer:
Unfortunately, we do not have a word version of the survey to share. The
online questionnaire was designed so that it can be completed in multiple
sittings and/or by several people. A survey link for your agency was
forwarded to the Primary Senior Deputy for your agency. They have the
ability to forward the link to any and all staff members completing the
survey. If you do not know who this is, please contact the survey research
team.
Question:
This survey is very long. It will take me a long time to complete it.
Answer:
The survey it is broken into parts in order to reduce the burden of response
on any one individual. This questionnaire is designed so that it can be
completed in multiple sittings and/or by several people. In the Table of
Contents (on the first page of the online survey entitled “Intro”), we have
made suggestions as to the most appropriate respondents for each section
of the survey.
The primary contact for the survey can forward the survey link to the
appropriate staff members and ask them to enter the information directly
into the web-based survey. Alternatively, they can print out a blank
questionnaire, distribute hard copies to the appropriate individuals, and
then go online to enter the information they provide.
Question:
For the activities questions in the first half of Part B, should a box be selected for
an activity or service for all agencies/entities that provide that service? What if
only some local health departments provide that service? What if the state health
agency does not directly provide a particular service listed?
Answer:
Please check the box for all state agencies, local department, non-profits and/or
for-profits that provide a given service or activity. If a state health agency has no
role in providing a particular activity, the first column should not be checked. If
any local health departments provide a given service, we want respondents to
check either the “Performed by local health departments run by a local employee”
option or the “Performed by local health departments run by a state/territorial
employee,” depending on which is most appropriate.
Question:
In my agency, Public Health is part of a larger umbrella agency that also includes
Mental Health, Substance Abuse, Medicaid, Aging, etc. When I answer questions
about Mental Health (e.g. B8, B10, B14 ), should I respond as if these services are
provided by another state agency? Public Health has no authority over mental
health issues even though we are part of the same agency. It seems as though
answering questions about mental health being in our state agency it will make it
look like it is part of Public Health.
Answer:
Since Public Health has no authority over these programs/services (Mental
Health, Substance Abuse, Medicaid and Aging), please report that they are
performed by another state/territorial agency. Later in the survey (Part C;
question C2), you will have the opportunity to report that Mental Health, for
instance, is another component of the umbrella agency.
Question:
Is there an "effective date" that you would expect or want our responses to cover?
Our agency is "transitioning" to/become part of the state health umbrella agency,
in which we will become one agency with our Medicaid and Alcohol, Mental
Health Addiction Services Divisions.
Answer:
Please respond to the survey questions based on your agency’s current structure
(i.e. as of today). We are interested in reporting on the most up-to-date
information, with exception of the fiscal data (which will cover fiscal years 2008
and 2009 specifically).
Question:
Our agency has quite a few contractors that we consider "affiliate
employees". Do you want information on them included anywhere besides D2?
D2. Please indicate the current number of workers in the following categories:
•
Number of part-time workers
•
Number of contractual workers
•
Number of hourly (temporary or as needed) workers
•
Number of state/territory workers assigned to local health departments
•
Number of state/territory workers assigned to regional/district offices
•
Number of state/territory workers assigned to other state/territorial agencies
•
Total number of workers hired using ARRA funding (include part-time, contractual, hourly
workers and state/territory workers assigned to local health departments, regional/district
offices and other state/territorial agencies)
Answer:
No. We do not want contractors/affiliate employees counted anywhere other than
in question D2 on the survey.
Question:
For question D3, do you want us to account for all of our staff in the
occupational classifications, or just address the classifications on your list?
Answer:
The classifications we are most interested in are listed in the table for question
D3. However, you can enter additional classifications for which you have a
substantial number of employees in the “other” rows at the bottom of the table.
We leave it completely up to your discretion what a "substantial number of
employees" is.
Additionally, it would be helpful if all other staff could be lumped into a final "All
Other Staff" category (again by entering this in one of the “other” rows at the
bottom of table) so that the table represents the total FTEs for the
state/territorial public health agency and matches the number of full-time
equivalents (FTEs) reported for question D1. We ask that you only complete the
FTE column (not salary ranges and benefits) for this miscellaneous category.
Question:
If a nurse in our agency provides consulting and technical assistance on public
health nursing issues, should they be counted under the “Public health nurse”
category for question D3?
Answer:
As the instructions state for question D3, we ask respondents to count
employees by their function, as opposed to their degree (if the two are in
conflict). So, employees that provide consulting and technical assistance on
public health nursing, for instance, would be captured in the public health nurse
category, as long as they are acting in an essentially nursing function.
If there are no occupational classifications listed in the table that match the
description of a group of employees, you can chose the “other” category and
write in a more appropriate category to describe this group of employees.
Question:
I am viewing a printed version of the survey and question D9 is incomplete.
Answer:
Question D9 was cut off on the original printed version of the survey. The
issue has since been resolved and the full question text is included in the
printed version available online.
Question:
For question D9, regarding turnover rate, should we include retirements?
D9. What has been the turnover rate (the ratio of the number of non-temporary
employees that separated from the state/territory service to the average number
of employees for a given time period) for your state/territory's public health
workforce over the past three fiscal years?
Turnover Rate in Fiscal Year 2007
Turnover Rate in Fiscal Year 2008
Turnover Rate in Fiscal Year 2009
Answer:
Yes. Please include all non-temporary employees that separated from the
state/territory, including those who have retired.
Question:
Our agency is on a two-year budget cycle. The survey is requesting revenue and
expenditure data for the last year of the previous biennium (FY08) and the first
year of the current biennium (FY09). Depending upon the timing of revenue and
expenditures, the information may be misleading. To an individual looking at the
reported information, it would look like we spent less money in FY09 than in
FY08. In fact, we will spend more money this biennium than we did last
biennium. How should we complete the finance section of the survey?
Answer:
When we were developing the fiscal module last spring with the help of state and
territorial CFOs, we learned that most agencies have similar fiscal timeframes
(July thru June). However, we also learned that some work on a two year budget
cycle. For this reason, we are requesting data for two fiscal years. Although FY08
and FY09 may not reflect the same biennium for your agency, the 2010 survey is
the second in a longitudinal study so the next iteration of the survey will capture
the FY10 and FY11 fiscal data. In other words, over time we will capture data for
corresponding fiscal years for your agency's biennium (and others). When
reporting fiscal data in the 2010 survey, please include notes regarding your
concerns in the open text fields provided below questions E1 (revenues), E2
(expenditures) and E3 (contracts).
Question:
For question E2 (expenditure), why is “AIDS and STD prevention and control”
included in the instructions for “Chronic Disease.”
Answer:
AIDS/STD was inadvertently included in the instructions for “Chronic
Disease” when the survey was launched, but has since been moved to the
instructions for the “Infectious Disease” category.
Question:
I am viewing a printed version of the survey and Question F1 does not make
sense. The response options do not match the question.
Answer:
The question text for F1 was incorrect when the survey was originally
launched and has since been corrected.
Question:
When I generate the agency profile, the data is incorrect. Can you tell
me where (which questions) the data is being pulled from so I know how
to correct the report?
Answer:
With the exception of the agency name, structure and relationship to the
local health departments, which have all been entered prior to the
launch on the survey (the last two were derived from previous ASTHO
surveys), the data for the profile is pulled from the following
parts/questions of the 2010 survey.
Answer (continued):
We have provided this key so that you can go back to the relevant question if your agency
profile is incorrect.
Agency Profile Topic
Part
Questions
Top 5 Priorities
Part C
C23
Agency Structure
Part C
C1
# of local/regional health agencies
Part C
C3
Board of Health
Part C
C18
Reports Directly to Governor
Part H
H7
Health Assessment
Part F
F1
Health Improvement Plan
Part F
F2
Strategic Plan
Part F
F6
Sources of Funding (FY09)
Part E
E1
Expenditures (FY09)
Part E
E2
FTEs
Part D
D1
State workers assigned to
local/regional offices
Part D
D2
Questions?
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