OPPA: Public Health Infrastructure (PHI) Grant Monthly Newsletter
This message is being sent to local public health officers, Tribal health directors, and key DPH staff.
Update from the PHI Grant Management Team (PHIGMT)
Exciting news: PHI Grant Specialist McKenzie Mellecker and her family are expecting their second child in early May! McKenzie will be taking some time off throughout May and June. During this time, it will be especially important to email our shared mailbox (dhsdphphigrant@dhs.wisconsin.gov) with any questions or support needs you may have.
Where can I find more information about the PHI Grant?
- Go to the PHI Grant SharePoint site! PHIGMT manages and constantly updates this site, which includes a general outline of grant information, frequently asked questions, and more!
- Encourage your staff to access this site! At the request of the agency’s health officer or director, please email our shared mailbox (dhsdphphigrant@dhs.wisconsin.gov) to request access to the site for any staff who still need it.
Operational reminders and updates
Important: Please check your inbox as you should have received an email from a member of PHIGMT on April 23, 2024, about work plan revisions. The email subject line was "PHI Grant Work Plan Revision."
Work plan revisions are due on May 10, 2024. It's very important to make work plan revisions ahead of the upcoming semiannual report. We hope to make the semiannual reporting link available in the May newsletter, with a final due date for all reports of June 28, 2024. If you did not receive the email from our team earlier this week, please reach out to the PHI Grant shared inbox (dhsdphphigrant@wi.gov).
Also, as a reminder, PHIGMT conducts a fiscal reconciliation process at the end of each grant quarter. The current quarter is March through May. This process assists local and Tribal health departments (LTHDs) in monitoring their spending and allows us to monitor alignment with work plans. More information will be coming in July. You can also reference the Expenditure Reporting SharePoint page for more information.
How can I make my voice heard in PHI Grant implementation?
With the help of WALHDAB, we are seeking local health officers or staff who are interested in participating in a short-term focus group. The focus group will discuss agencies’ participation in the PHAB Pathways Recognition Program and how DPH could help local health departments prepare for initial accreditation by funding the Readiness Assessment fee through the PHI Grant.
If you are interested in joining this focus group, please complete this focus group interest form to submit your information by May 7, 2024, for consideration by the WALHDAB board. You can find additional details in the linked form.
What are other LTHDs planning to do with their PHI Grant funding?
- Please make sure to check out our PHI Grant LTHD Work Plan Synopsis SharePoint page for high level overview information on the work plans of all 95 LTHDs including examples of specific activity, narrative, and technical assistance requests for each potential objective.
- You will have more opportunities for collaboration between LTHDs based on overlapping work plan activities. PHIGMT is working to process technical assistance requests that came in through LTHD work plans and would be happy to field requests for peer connections in the meantime.
- Health departments have continued to turn in innovative proposals to boost staff engagement and to support and sustain the public health workforce. Some examples include:
- Paying a professional photographer to take head shots for staff.
- Creating a mental health brain break space (purchasing large adult coloring book poster to display in the waiting area for staff and clients or visitors).
- Purchasing clothing with health department branding for staff.
What is the status of the baseline assessment (Costing and Capacity and Workforce)?
We greatly appreciated the opportunity to connect with so many health officers at the February Wisconsin Association of Local Health Departments and Boards (WALHDAB) Operations Conference! DPH is committed to ensuring that all health departments who want to preview their Workforce Assessment data and provide input or feedback have an opportunity to do so. We have enjoyed many such conversations already and if your agency has not had an opportunity to preview your data and provide input and you would like to do so, please reach out to Christie Reese (christie.reese@dhs.wisconsin.gov) or Jacquie Cutts (jacqueline.cutts@dhs.wisconsin.gov).
A preliminary draft of a DPH Costing and Capacity Assessment “full implementation” estimate is approaching the finish line. It will then go through a validation and review process with DPH leadership to ensure accuracy before it’s finalized.
Upcoming meetings, events, and resources for consideration
- Look into the newly published Qualitative Data Standards Guide! Our very own Office of Policy and Practice Alignment (OPPA) staff member, Renold JeanLouis, has recently published the Qualitative Data Standards Guide, which outlines a step-by-step process for doing a qualitative data inquiry or project. It includes best practices such as how to engage the community, use different data collection methods, create a trusting environment, analyze and action data, and more. For any questions or further information, please email Renold JeanLouis (renold.jeanlouis@wi.gov).
- Visit the new Infodemiology website, which was recently launched with support from multiple leading public health and health care associations to help provide the first U.S.-based trainings on infodemiology for public health professions. There are currently over 10 hours of tailored curriculum created by U.S. experts that are completely free, online, and asynchronous (learn on your own schedule).
- Check out the recording of the PHI Grant Partners webinar Implementing PHIG Workplans Through Cross-Cutting Teams: Alabama’s Experience. This webinar featured five major Alabama Department of Public Health staff members highlighting the work they’ve been doing and plans they have for the State of Alabama.
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