Program Evaluation in State Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention Programs

1. Program Evaluation in State Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention Programs Ian Brissette, Ph.D. New York State Department of Health

2. Program Evaluation in Public Health Systematic collection of information to investigate the merit, worth or significance of an organized public health action. Adapted from CDC, 1999. Framework for Program Evaluation in Public Health, MMWR

3. Characteristics of Program Evaluation An evaluation is typically associated with a specific intervention or set of interventions. In public health, evaluation is used to: Understand a public health program Identify best practices Determine opportunities for program improvement

4. Note: Obtain Language from CDC about staffing preferences or requirements for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention Cooperative Agreements Potential differences between HDSP funded States Existence of a dedicated “program evaluator” Location of evaluator in organization Physical location of evaluator Programmatic focus of evaluator (e.g., just HDSP?) The HDSP State Program Evaluator

5. Two staff assume responsibilities of program evaluator and surveillance lead Evaluation and surveillance staff are in a distinct organizational Bureau within our Division of Chronic Disease and Injury Prevention HDSP evaluation and surveillance staff are integrated with a specific program (Healthy Heart Program) HDSP Program Evaluator in NYS

6. Step 1: Engage Stakeholders ? Step 2: Describe the Program ? Step 3: Focus the Evaluation Design ? Step 4: Gather Credible Evidence ? Step 5: Justify Conclusions ? Step 6: Ensure Lessons Learned Best Practices in Program Evaluation:CDC Evaluation Framework