Localism in Action

Welcome to the NCLHSA Resources site. Here you will find information about innovative and impactful programs, policies and initiatives implemented by city and county H/HS agencies, important documents and informative tools and links.

Modern H/HS Policy

National policy that incorporates whole family approaches; uses a social determinants of health, well-being, and equity lens; and encourages cross-sector collaborations and optimum use of data.

• Building a 21st Century Child Welfare System - Casey Family Programs is working with APHSA and a wide range of partners mobilizing public child welfare, public health, and other human service leaders, researchers, judges, legislators, constituents, private providers, and other thought leaders from across the country to build a 21st century child welfare system. A 21st century system will better serve and support children and families, prevent child abuse and neglect, and promote child and family well-being. There have been a series of convenings and other strategies to activate around this effort.
  • 21st Century Child Welfare System Draft Framework
  • October 2018 Convening Summary
  • May 2018 Convening Summary
• Hill Briefing and Panel Discussion - APHSA, NACo and H/HS leaders from Fairfax County (VA), Mecklenburg County (NC) and Perry County (OH) held a Hill briefing on March 5, 2019 to discuss the important role city and county agencies play in delivering health and human services and sparking innovation to modernize the system. Rep. Danny K. Davis (D-IL), Chairman Worker and Family Support Subcommittee, House Ways and Means Committee and Ranking Member, House Ways and Means Committee, Rep. Kevin Brady (R-TX) joined the discussion.

• Critical Intercepts: Breaking the Cycle Through Multisystem Collaboration – Bucks County (PA) Department of Housing and Human Services
• Response and Supporting Appendix to the President's Executive Order on Promoting Opportunity and Economic Mobility (June 21, 2018)

Creating the National Narrative

Advancing the H/HS field through shared narratives, proof points, and models that facilitate finding a common ground & advancing solutions that are locally-adaptable and whole-family focused.

• Improving the Delivery of Behavioral Health Services to Child Welfare-Involved Families - Allegheny County (PA) Community of Practice Model

• Affordable Housing: Toolkit for Counties - National Association of Counties (NACo)
• How a Practice Change Helped Families in Denver – Human Services Section, Denver (CO) City Attorney’s Office
• Hope-Healing-Health – Chippewa County (WI) Department of Human Services
• Charting a New Pathway to Prosperity and Well-Being - how the concept "Localism" began from APHSA's Local Executive Council

Data Optimization

Shifting policy and program design to practical, data-informed decisions that drive the desired outcomes.

• How Data Sharing Drives Positive Outcomes - The Opioid Crisis

Creating an Agile H/HS Workforce

Adaptive, empowering leadership resulting in an increased focus and capacity within agencies and communities regarding executive functioning and resilience, and advancing a culture of equity.

• In 2008 APHSA launched an initiative that highlights the vital role the H/HS workforce plays in unlocking and igniting the potential of all people in our communities. This series showcases member agencies that are applying innovative approaches in supporting the professional development of their workforce and tools and guidance agency leaders can use.
  • Part 1 – The Health and Human Services Workforce
  • Part 2 – Supporting and Enhancing the Child Protection Workforce
  • Part 3 – Move to the Front: A Strategy for Becoming a Stronger Self
  • Part 4 – Investing in Your Workforce and Moving Up the Value Curve
  • Part 5 – The Making of a Health and Human Services Workforce Advocate
  • Part 6 – A Novel Approach to Workforce Well-Being and Health

Healthier Ecosystem

Creation of peer learning communities that share innovative and pioneering work.

• Building Place-Based Opportunity Ecosystems - APHSA serves as a hub for foundations who are investing in local communities, with the public human services agency often emerging as a backbone for partnership-building and service innovation.  Our long-standing partnership with Kresge Foundation has enabled us to support dozens of local agencies with greatly subsidized or no-cost support towards improved ecosystems, analytics, social and economic mobility, and structural equity.
• Jeffco Prosperity Partners (JPP ) - a collaboration of community, school, business, and county partners working together to help Jefferson County families break the cycle of generational poverty.
  • Overview and infographic

• Birth to Age Eight Collaborative Initiative, Dakota County (MN) - the initiative brings together essential public and non-profit community service providers to assure children reach key developmental milestones from birth to age eight.
• Mecklenburg Community Resource Center – Mecklenburg County (NC) Department of Community Resources.
• Reducing Poverty in Franklin County (OH) – In the fall of 2018, the Franklin County Commissioners began an initiative to analyze the causes of poverty that are unique to Central Ohio, the resources that are available in its community, and to create a plan to more effectively bring those resources to bear on the problem with a community-wide, systematic approach.

Evidence-Informed Investments

Showcasing evidence-based and evidence-informed policy and programs.

• APHSA and the Local Executive Advisory Council is working with one of the largest managed care organizations (MCOs) in the country to develop a pilot program (10-15 counties, rural and urban) to increase counties access to health data. The program will allow the pilot sites to:
  • Access the MCO’s medical economics analytics for residents in its county to look across social determinants of health, utilization, pharmacy patterns, claims data, etc., and point to needs and give insight into how to intervene and better support residents;
  • Using the data from the MCO’s medical economics analytics tool the county can develop evidence-informed interventions/treatment plans for its entire community, sections of its community (i.e., residents experiencing housing instability, substance abuse, chronic illness, etc.) and for individuals or families. This is a powerful tool that provides access and analysis of critical medical data that counties do not currently have.
  • Provide its own medical data for its residents for inclusion in the MCO’s medical economics analytics tool to increase the accuracy and effectiveness of the data set (pending data sharing agreements).

We will provide updates as the program progresses.