Transcript Essential Service #6 : ENFORCE LAWS AND REGULATIONS THAT PROTECT HEALTH AND ENSURE SAFETY.

Essential Service #6 :
ENFORCE LAWS AND REGULATIONS
THAT PROTECT HEALTH AND
ENSURE SAFETY
Refresher: Why learn about Essential
Services?
 Improve quality and performance.
 Achieve better outcomes – improved health,
less preventable death and disease.
 Be more efficient with time and money.
 Receive national accreditation.
Refresher: Why pursue accreditation?
 Documents accountability
 Encourages continuous Quality Improvement
 Sets benchmarks on services
 Leads to best practice sharing
 Helps to identify gaps in performance
Essential Service #6: In “plain English”
 Enforce public health laws and regulations.
(Or “When we enforce health regulations, are
we up-to-date, technically competent, fair
and effective?”)
What does ES #6 include?
 Review, evaluation, and revision of legal
authority, laws and regulations
 Education about laws and regulations
 Advocacy for regulations needed to protect and
promote health
 Support of compliance efforts and enforcement
ES# 6: In the Assurance Core Function
Examples of ES #6
 Communicable disease statute and
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regulations
Food protection laws, inspection processes
Hospital/long term care statute & regulations
Housing codes, e.g., Lead Poisoning
Prevention; Radon; septic systems
Indiana Code Title 16-Health
More examples?
How do we assess our performance?
Four Model Standards:
 Planning and Implementation
 State and Local Partnerships
 Performance Management/Quality
Improvement
 Public Health Capacity and Resources
ES#6 - Planning and Implementation
We should ask ourselves, do we:
 Review existing and proposed laws?
 What is current scientific knowledge?
 Are there new Best Practices?
 Solicit input on laws from stakeholders?
 Legislators
 Legal advisors
 General public
 Persons/entities in the regulated environment.
Planning and Implementation, cont
Do we:
 Review/update state laws to assure appropriate
emergency powers? [e.g., isolation & quarantine]
 Support compliance among persons/entities in
regulated environment? [e.g., food handlers]
 Provide written guidelines related to new
regulations? [e.g., swimming pool inspections; camp
ground inspections; HPV education materials]
State and Local Partnerships
Do we:
 Offer technical assistance to local communities
on newly enacted laws and regulations?
 Assist local health departments to develop local
laws/ordinances?
Performance Management/Quality
Improvement
Do we:
 Review whether PH laws are on target & meeting
the needs to keep the public healthy & safe?
 Make sure enforcement activities effective?
 Assure ongoing Quality Improvement by
managing the overall performance of
enforcement activities?
Public Health Capacity and Resources
Do we:
 Commit adequate financial resources for the
enforcement of laws?
 Rely on PH system partners to focus their assets
on enforcement activities?
 Use workforce expertise to effectively review,
develop, and enforce public health laws? [e.g.,
changes in immunization laws; new sanitary
systems]
How did we do?
Results by Model Standard
Keys to improvement: Competencies
Analytic/Assessment Skills
 Define a public health problem that needs a new
law or regulation
 Collect data to justify the need for new laws
Policy Development/Program Planning Skills
 Identify, interpret, implement PH laws,
regulations, policies
 Decide on appropriate course of action
Keys to Improvement: Competencies
Communication Skills
 Communicate new laws and regulations
 Solicit input from individuals, organizations
 Lead/participate in groups to address new laws
 Listen in an unbiased manner; respect points of
view of others; promote expression of diverse
opinions, perspectives
Keys to Improvement: Competencies
Cultural Competency Skills
 Understand how laws and regulations may affect
various cultures [e.g., immunizations; disease
registries; food preparation]
 Understand forces contributing to cultural
diversity, importance of a diverse PH workforce
 Interact effectively with persons from diverse
backgrounds
Keys to Improvement: Competencies
Basic Public Health Sciences Skills
 Understand how laws and regulations impact
determinants of health and illness* [e.g., access to
care; genetic screening; setting poverty level]
*Biologic, Behavioral, Environmental, Socio/Economic, Access to Care
Leadership and Systems Thinking Skills
 Use legal and political system to affect change
Keys to Improvement: Competencies
Financial Planning and Management Skills
 Develop and present budgets to implement
regulations
 Follow laws and manage programs within budget
constraints
 Monitor program performance in implementing
regulations
References
 CDC National Public Health Performance
Standards Program Website:
http://www.cdc.gov/od/ocphp/nphpsp/Essential
PublicHealthServices.htm#es2
 Council on Linkages Training Project Website:
http://www.trainingfinder.org/competencies/list
_ephs.htm#2
 Indiana Public Health System Quality
Improvement Report (2007).
Discussion:
What does your program do to
implement Essential Service #6?