The Public Health Infrastructure Grant (PHIG) supports critical public health basic framework needs of health departments across the United States. Funding from this grant will help ensure that every U.S. community has the people, services, and systems needed to promote and protect health. The grant creates a foundation for CDC’s public health infrastructure work and provides maximum flexibility so recipients can address their high priority needs.
In 2022, CDC awarded $3.84 billion to states, counties, and cities through the “OE22-2203: Strengthening U.S. Public Health Infrastructure, Workforce, and Data Systems” grant to help U.S. health departments promote and protect health in their communities and create a stronger, more resilient public health system that is ready to face future health threats. Iowa HHS received $33.6 million to strengthen our public health infrastructure over the course of the 5-year project period (December 1, 2022 - November 30, 2027). The three focus areas of this grant are Workforce, Foundational Capabilities, and Data Modernization. Recipients are expected to achieve several key outcomes by the end of the 5-year period of performance.
This strategy will reinforce and expand the public health workforce by hiring, retaining, supporting, and training the workforce. Recipients can also make new investments in workforce engagement, well-being, and other related programs to assist with retention and help improve emotional, mental, and physical health outcomes of the workforce. Under this strategy, 40% of the funding provided to state health department recipients should be dedicated to supporting local health departments that did not receive direct funding from this grant. Iowa HHS is using this 40% to fund the creation of local public health support teams.
Iowa HHS Identified Key Activities:
Recruit and hire new public health staff.
Retain public health staff.
Support and sustain the public health workforce.
Train new and existing public health staff.
Strengthen support for implementation of this grant.
Build multi-discipline Public Health Support Teams made up of state staff to improve support for local public health.
This strategy will strengthen systems, processes, and policies to ensure the strong core infrastructure needed to deliver the foundational public health services. The Foundational Public Health Services (FPHS) framework outlines a set of capabilities and areas that must be available in every community. These capabilities include: 1) Assessment/ Surveillance, 2) Emergency Preparedness and Response, 3) Policy Development and Support, 4) Communications, 5) Community Partnership Development, 6) Organizational Competencies, 7) Accountability/Performance Management, and 8) Equity.
Iowa HHS Identified Key Activities:
Strengthen accountability/performance management, including accreditation.
Enhance communications.
Enhance or increase policy development and legal services and analysis.
Strengthen community partnership development and engagement.
Improve equity and organizational competencies addressing leadership, governance, and strategic planning.
Implement plans to transition from COVID-19 emergency response and other emergency response and preparedness projects.
This area focuses on improving technologies, policies, and methods to implement data and analytical capabilities to support the Essential Public Health Services. Public health data infrastructure should have clear governance structures that are inclusive (e.g., consider the needs of counties and cities as well as states) and should be able to scale rapidly, be flexible to accommodate changing needs in public health surveillance and response. All activities should reduce burden on health care and public health partners reporting data, while enhancing data sharing at all levels. The goal is to enhance the data and information infrastructure used by public health.
Iowa HHS Identified Key Activities:
Identify a data modernization director and supporting team that will be responsible for assessment, planning, and implementation of modernization activities.
Assess and report the current capacity, gaps, and opportunities to modernize the public health data infrastructure and workforce.
Expand current data modernization efforts beyond reportable diseases to include additional public health datasets within the department.
Invest in more modern and efficient data infrastructure.
Work toward increased data interoperability.
Increase availability and use of public health data.
The HHS Public Health Support Team will focus on advancing the local public health system, boost local public health department's ability to ensure Iowans receive all of the Essential Public Health Services, ensure local public health agencies meet all of the Foundational Public Health Capabilities, and strengthen the system’s capacity for enhanced data analysis using county-level data.
The Public Health Support Team for each county will include staff from: the Center for Acute Disease Epidemiology, Local Public Health Services, Environmental Health, Health Statistics, Immunizations, Emergency Preparedness and Response and other applicable areas. In addition to these existing staff members, Iowa HHS is also hiring additional local public health support staff:
Population Health Advisors
Operational Planning and Performance Consultants
Workforce Development Consultants
Environmental Health Consultants
Local Public Health Epidemiologists
Public Health Support Team members will be assigned to cover a geographic area of the state to provide support to local public health partners. This will allow support team members to work together within their specialty area as well as within their support teams. Support team members will also work with staff within the Division of Public Health and across Iowa HHS divisions as needed to advance the local public health system.
