$4 Billion in new funding for Public Health. Learn how your PACEs coalition can benefit

In cities and states across the U.S., public health departments are working on their application to get some of the nearly $4 billion that is being given out as part of a major federal program to strengthen the infrastructure and workforce of public health departments.

REGISTER FOR THE WEBINAR on AUGUST 2 (and automatically get the recording)

One of the main priorities is to strengthen community collaboration and partnerships.  Health departments can't address the complex issues related to health and Social Determinants of Health on their own.  They need to be leading and supporting high-impact community coalitions.

This is the chance for PACEs coalitions (and other coalitions that can align with PACEs coalitions) to get important resources.   PACEs coalitions should approach their local and state public health departments this week (since the responses are due August 15) and emphasize how working together will enable the health departments to have major wins with regard to successful community partnerships, because:

• PACEs are the "root cause of most other root causes" that are key to prevention of health problems.
• PACEs Coalitions have done important work in building relationships that are needed for a strong local coalition, but most coalitions really need added support to turn those relationships into a powerful force for achieving impact.  If public health departments focus a slice of their new money on hiring staff and paying for programs to support their local PACEs coalition, these coalitions can thrive--creating a big win for the health department and the community.
• There are great programs, working at the national level, that can help rapidly amplify the impact of local PACEs Coalitions--with a relatively minor investment that is easily justified as professional development for coalition building by the health department.

InsightFormation is putting on a webinar showing how, by aligning with PACEs coalitions, health departments can have a high impact use of these new funds.

The key is to getting resources from this funding is not to ask the health departments to write you a check.  Instead, ask them to invest some of their new workforce and infrastructure money in the following:

1. Hiring a person to provide backbone support for the PACEs coalition--ideally as a full-time person who might support PACEs Coalitions and Early Childhood Development coalitions in a group of counties.
2. Paying for participation in both the PACEs Connection Cooperative of Communities and the ARRCC Action Network for four years--enough time to really build momentum and impact.
3. Sponsoring an annual PACEs Coalition summit to build the strength and participation among key community stakeholders.

These three things would require only a small part of each health department's share of this new funding, but it would have a big impact on their capacity to not only support PACEs coalitions but also build the collective impact muscle to address other issues.  They will also learn how to take their evaluation practices up a few notches.

Please join Bill Barberg, Carey Sipp, Michael Quinn Patton and Nora Murphy Johnson for this webinar (or at least register to get the recording).

Register Now.     

If it is after August 2, click here to learn how to access the recording.

Please take a few minutes to send this link to public health department staff and other coalition members in your community!