National Public Health Improvement Initiative in Virginia

CDC’s NPHII funding was central to our quick wins at the Virginia Department of Health. In year one, funds were used to

• Hire a performance improvement manager and analyst
• Develop a performance improvement plan in partnership with the commissioner, senior deputies, central office directors, and local health directors
• Implement four projects that targeted areas for improvement identified by staff
• Create a Performance Improvement Council that includes state political leaders, agency leaders, private sector partners, and a CDC representative to provide oversight and guidance

We were able to move forward on several fronts to implement our performance improvement plan. In year one, we were able to

• Abstract and consolidate critical metrics from 119 public health system databases into one dashboard system serving all offices
• Identify more than $1.2 million in annual potential savings in information technology costs which, when implemented, will free up funds for programs and staffing
• Create an online system to replace a time-consuming, redundant, and paper-based administrative procurement process
• Raise awareness of challenges and barriers to enrollment in Plan First and increase enrollment by 32 percent

Key factors to the success of year-one activities included

• Having committed and engaged leaders involved in performance improvement initiatives
• Selecting projects that were high priorities for staff and stakeholders and engaging them in implementing improvements