The State Public Health System Performance Assessment measures the capacity and infrastructure of state public health systems and helps states to recognize where improvements can be made (ASTHO, 2013). To answer this discussion question, the 2012 Montana state health assessment was thoroughly reviewed. According to the assessment, the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services sought to determine the current health status prevailing among the Montana population in order to determine where specific improvements could be made. Particular emphasis was placed on the fact that the main causes of mortality have shifted dramatically over the past 100 years and since the discovery of antibiotics and other vaccines. The assessment went on to state that many of the causes of mortality in Montana today are largely avoidable through proper lifestyle choices and compliance with health care recommendations (Whiting Sorrell, 2012). As a result, this assessment measured a wide variety relevant health performance factors that directly impact Montana residents, including leading causes of death and modifiable health risk behaviors. This provided the Department of Health and Human Services with a baseline of statistical data that enabled the development of a improvement plan that would be aimed at improving the quality of life and reducing premature mortality among Montana state residents.
What did the state learn from the experience of assessing performance measurements?
The state of Montana learned that it was indeed possible to affect positive change on the health and wellbeing of state residence through stronger dedication to preventative medicine, counseling and patient education. Specifically, the statistical data gathered during this assessment indicated that a significant percentage of deaths in Montana were due to poor lifestyle choices and noncompliance with health care recommendations. Poor lifestyle choices that were highlighted in the assessment include physical inactivity, obesity, and smoking and other tobacco abuse (Whiting Sorrell, 2012). Noncompliance with health care recommendations that was emphasized in the assessment include refusal to submit to cholesterol, breast cancer or colorectal screening tests, refusal of immunizations, late entry into prenatal care, drinking and driving and failure to wear seatbelts. Based on this compelling data, the state of Montana is able to focus public health policy and patient awareness and education efforts in the right direction in order to address the most relevant issues facing the Montana population. In addition, as the state implements new policies and strategies to positively influence these issues, further assessment can be carried out in order to compare future data with data collected during the baseline assessment in 2012.
- ASTHO. (2013). National public health performance standards. Retrieved from Association of State and Territorial Health Officials: http://www.astho.org/Programs/Accreditation-and-Performance/National-Public-Health-Performance-Standards/
- Whiting Sorrell, A. (2012). State public health assessment Montana 2012. Billings: State of Montana.
