Evaluating the effectiveness of public health initiatives is an essential service of public health. It is not sufficient to develop and implement plans and policies designed to address health problems. Health improvement is achieved only when interventions are proven effective. Program evaluation is a systematic way to improve and account for public health actions. According to the Center for Disease Control, program evaluation is important because it 1) supports the use of science as a basis for decision-making and public health action; 2) makes efforts outcome-oriented; and 3) promotes accountability. More efficient and timely detection of public health effects will enhance our ability to translate findings into practice.

Framework for Program Evaluation in Public Health
This Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report contains useful information on evaluating population-based health services. Specifically, it offers a framework for evaluating programs in public health. The evaluation strategies are practical and provide guidance for determining the effectiveness of population-based services or programs.

Obtaining Baseline Measures, Setting Targets, and Measuring Progress
This information is part of the Healthy People 2010 Toolkit and is intended to assist individuals in identifying different types of health measures for their community or state health plan.

Community Tool Box (CTB)
The Tool Box provides practical information on evaluation including Gathering Information: Monitoring Your Progress (Monitoring Progress.doc - PROVIDED)

Framework for Program Evaluation in Public Health
CDC developed the framework for program evaluation to ensure that amidst the complex transition in public health, public health agencies are accountable and committed to achieving measurable health outcomes.

PartnershipTool.net
Register your partnership to use the Tool or check out www.PartnershipTool.net to obtain additional information.

Partnership Self-Assessment Tool [PDF, 48 kb]
This easy-to-use, reliable, web-based Tool gives partnerships an exciting new way to assess how well their collaborative process is working and to identify specific areas they can focus on to make the process work better.

The Tool measures a key indicator of a successful collaborative process - the partnership's level of synergy. It identifies the partnership's strengths and weaknesses in areas that are known to be related to synergy - leadership, efficiency, administration and management, and sufficiency of resources. It also measures partners' perspectives about the partnership's decision-making process, the benefits and drawbacks they experience as a result of participating in the partnership, and their overall satisfaction with the partnership. Acting on this information can help partnerships be more successful in recruiting and retaining a broad array of partners.

Register your partnership to use the Tool.