Health Planning
The Health Council of Southeast Florida (HCSEF) is responsible for regional health planning and implementation activities throughout Palm Beach County and the Treasure Coast. According to Florida Statutes, the activities carried out by local health councils are designed to improve access to healthcare, reduce disparities in health status, assist state and local governments in the development of sound and rational health care policies, and advocate on behalf of the underserved.
Community Health Assessments & Improvement Plans
Health Assessments are a systematic method of identifying unmet healthcare and human service needs of a population and may be used as the basis for designing and developing health promotion and disease prevention programs and for identifying possible interventions to meet those needs. HCSEF conducts quality community health needs assessments that help organizations and communities more effectively understand the need, demand and provision of health and healthcare services in the communities they serve.
Rather than take a one-size-fits-all approach to health assessments, HCSEF uses evidence-based models that are grounded in best practices, culturally sensitive and community-driven. Examples of these are The National Public Health Performance Standards Program, Mobilizing for Action through Planning and Partnerships (MAPP), or Popular Empirical Assessment of Community Health (PEACH). Quantitative and qualitative rigorous methods are used to gather up-to-date primary and secondary data.
Data often includes demographic and socioeconomic community profiles, health status indicators and health resource and availability that may identify areas of concern and can point to opportunities for improvement; where systemic policy changes may have the greatest impact in communities. Community Health Assessments (CHA) most often includes the following health planning and improvement activities:
- Collecting data using primary and secondary reliable data sources
- Designing and implementing surveys
- Conducting key informant interviews and surveys
- Conducting community focus groups
- Conducting data analysis and preparing quarterly and/or final reports
- Conducting quality improvement oversight
- Presenting CHA results to stakeholders
- Disseminating results to stakeholders and the community at large
For more information or to engage the HCSEF for a Community Health Assessment or Community Health Improvement Plan project, please contact Andrea Stephenson Royster at 561-844-4220 x2500 or astephenson@hcsef.org
Strategic Planning
Our experienced health planning department provides strategic planning and direction to health and human services organizations helping them to achieve their strategic health planning and organizational goals. We work in collaboration with county health departments, regional health planners and health professionals, primary care providers and others.
Our strategic planning is multi-faceted and encompasses:
- Identifying and planning in collaboration with public health institutions, health providers, community -based organizations, private, public and voluntary entities that contribute to the delivery of public health services to bring about systemic change.
- Compiling and producing reliable, up-to-date, easy to understand community data on health-status and health utilization, and translate data into health plans that promote health and disease prevention programs, community education and advocacy efforts, and
- Convening forums and conferences to identify public health issues and to serve as a catalyst for change.
For more information or to engage the HCSEF for a Strategic Planning project, please contact Andrea Stephenson Royster at 561-844-4220 x2500 or astephenson@hcsef.org
