Increase the proportion of tribal public health agencies that use core competencies in continuing education — PHI‑09 Data Methodology and Measurement

The National Indian Health Board (NIHB), through partnership and support from a cooperative agreement with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) completed the Public Health in Indian Country Capacity Scan (PHICCS) to describe the current state of public health services as a valuable tool for Indian Country to identify needs and strengths of Tribal public health to measure progress over time, to allocate staff and resources where they are most needed, and to provide data for decision making related to infrastructure, programs, and resources for the system overall.

The PHICCS questionnaire included 129 questions of various types, aimed at collecting information on the overall capacity of the public health system and infrastructure in Indian Country. The questions are themed and categorized according to five key areas: Tribal public health authority, Tribal public health activities, Tribal public health assessment, performance improvement and accreditation activities, Tribal public healh workforce, and Tribal public health priorities and needs.

The Core Competencies for Public Health Professionals (Core Competencies) are a consensus set of skills for the broad practice of public health, as defined by the 10 Essential Public Health Services. Developed by the Council on Linkages Between Academia and Public Health Practice (Council on Linkages), the Core Competencies reflect foundational skills desirable for professionals engaging in the practice, education, and research of public health. These competencies are organized into eight domains, reflecting skill areas within public health, and three tiers, representing career stages for public health professionals.

Tribal health organizations that responded that they use core competencies for public health professionals in “Developing staff training plans” were counted in the numerator.