Primary Care | NACCHO

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The primary responsibility of the local health department (LHD) in most locations is not necessarily to deliver primary care services but to ensure that the health needs of the community are being met. LHDs, through different approaches to their assurance function, contribute directly or indirectly to the delivery of primary care services to the populations they serve. More »

IN THE SPOTLIGHT

Benton County Health Department and Community Health Center Collaboration

The Benton County Health Department and the Benton County Community Health Center partnership challenges a number of the traditional models of how local public health and primary care work together. Although they are two separate divisions of the county government structure, they provide the community with public health, primary care, and mental health services in a seamless way. In fact, community members often do not know that behind the scenes they are separate agencies. Many factors contribute to their success, namely they are collocated in the same building and share strong leadership committed to integration. This unusual structure may be complex, however, it has resulted in countless benefits to both agencies and the community at large.

Does your health department have a similar relationship with your community health center? If so, we would love to hear about it. Please email jnelson@naccho.org with your story.

"When I look and the advancing needs in our community, I know that the old structure would not have met those needs. Our health department could not have kept up in the face of diminishing resources if we had not done something different in our operations plan".
Tom Eversole
Health Department Director
Benton County Health Department

Workforce Solutions Webcast Series

Academic Partnerships

This webinar featured presentations from three LHDs and the Youth Health Service Corps demonstrating initiatives to educate middle, high school, and university students about the issues involved in and careers in public health and related health services.

Public Health Nursing

This Webcast educated local health department staff and other interested individuals (community health centers, hospitals, etc) about initiatives to educate nursing students about public health, and recruit more appropriately trained nurses into public health and related health careers.

PRIMARY CARE NEWS

ACTIVITIES INCLUDE

»	Making Strategic Decisions about Service Delivery/Partnerships Project
	LHDs are examining their position in providing both population-based and direct healthcare services. A changing public health environment has increasingly led LHDs to transition services and refocus resources to population-based services. More »

»	Collaboration Resources
	LHDs are constantly involved in collaborations with community health centers (CHCs) and other partners. In addition to NACCHO's profiles of collaborative efforts between LHDs and CHCs, we will be compiling a list of existing resources to strengthen and evaluate collaborative efforts. (Coming Soon)

»	Partnerships for Health Care: Local Health Department and Community Health Center Collaboration
	Developing Quality Applications for Community Health Center Funding Issue Brief This audioconference series provides technical assistance to LHDs interested in working with community health centers (CHCs). Speakers have been drawn from the Bureau of Primary Health Care (Health Resources and Services Administration), LHDs throughout the U.S., the National Association of Community Health Centers, and state primary care associations. More »