The Centers for Disease Control has awarded $42.5 million in grants to assist 94 projects in state, tribal, local and territorial health departments across the nation improve the performance and quality of their health services.
The funds aim to help public health departments establish performance management systems to evaluate their effectiveness and train public health staff and community leaders to make business decisions that improve efficiency, said Dr. Thomas Frieden, CDC's director.
Through the projects, CDC wants to build a national network of performance improvement managers who share best practices on how to advance the public health system.
CDC also plans for public health departments to increase networking, coordination, and cooperation across-jurisdictions to share resources and improve health indicators.
"Investing in proven preventive services and strong policies helps us to avoid unnecessary costs later," Frieden said in an announcement Sept. 20.
The money for the five-year program comes from the new Prevention and Public Health Fund, which was created by the health reform law.
