Accountability requirements for the Local Public Health Act - Minnesota Dept. of Health

Accountability requirements for the Local Public Health Act

Community health boards have statutory responsibility under the Local Public Health Act. There are two components to compliance: statutory requirements, and performance-related accountability requirements.

Statutory requirements
2018 performance-related accountability requirement
2019 performance-related accountability requirement

Community health boards must:

  • Identify local public health priorities and implement activities to address those priorities and the areas of public health responsibility;
  • Submit a community health assessment and community health improvement plan (at least every five years);
  • Implement a performance management process; and
  • Annually report on a set of performance measures.

The Local public health assessment and planning cycle helps community health boards complete community health assessments and community health improvement plans, and Local Public Health Act annual reporting ensures community health boards can use accurate information to improve public health.

The Local Public Health Act (Minn. Stat. § 145A.131) outlines the accountability requirements for community health boards. Compliance is a requirement for community health boards accepting Local Public Health Grant funds.

 

Statutory requirements

Community health boards must meet all of the duties outlined in Minn. Stat. § 145A.03-04. To report that it meets these statutory requirements, a community health board will have already answered a set of questions within the Local Public Health Act performance measures, in the performance measures module in REDCap within the form called Assure an Adequate Local Public Health Infrastructure: Minnesota-Specific Measures.

Specifically, the statutory requirements are:

  • Meet the composition requirements specified in Minn. Stat. § 145A.03
  • Hold at least two community health board meetings per year
  • Have, in place, written procedures for transacting business; and keep a public record of transactions, findings, and determinations, as required by Minn. Stat. § 145A.03, subd. 5
  • Employ/contract with a CHS administrator who meets the qualification requirements of Minn. Rule 4736.0110
  • Employ/contract with a medical consultant in accordance with Minn. Stat. § 145A.04, subd. 2a

Find instructions at: LPH Act annual reporting module: Performance measures

 

2018 performance-related accountability requirement

Each year, community health boards must meet performance measures, as selected by the Commissioner of Health in consultation with SCHSAC. The community health board works to meet the measures over the course of the year, and is expected to report back to MDH in the following year while the period annual reporting is open.

The 2018 Performance-Related Accountability Requirement is:
Measure 5.2.4: Monitor and revise, as needed, the strategies in the community health improvement plan (CHIP), in collaboration with broad participation from stakeholders and partners.

How to report

The 2018 Performance-Related Accountability Requirement reporting is due March 31, 2019.

Community health boards report on the Performance-Related Accountability Requirement in two ways:

1. Via LPH Act annual reporting: Community health boards will have already answered whether they fully, partially, or cannot meet this measure, within the performance measures, in the module in REDCap titled Assure an Adequate Local Public Health Infrastructure: Capacity Measures from National Standards.

AND

2. Via documentation: Community health boards will email additional, simple documentation to MDH (to health.ophp@state.mn.us) explaining progress made and the process(es) used:

Note: An annual report is intended for use by the community health board and its community partners. Local health departments find that an annual report is a useful document to provide updates to community stakeholders (including advisory committees and governing boards) or for sharing with community members who may be interested in the progress of the community health improvement plan. The annual report should consider the other audiences the community health board may want to share the report with. Submission of this report to the Minnesota Department of Health meets the documentation requirement for the performance-related accountability measure (PHAB Measure 5.2.4).

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2019 performance-related accountability requirement

Each year, the Commissioner of Health, in consultation with SCHSAC, must select Performance-Related Accountability Requirements for community health boards. This is in addition to the statutory duties outlined in Minn. Stat. § 145A.131.

The selected requirements for 2019 are submission of the 2015-2019 local public health assessment and planning deliverables. These deliverables are:

  • Organizational strategic plan*
  • Plan to monitor and revise the strategic plan
  • Identification of priority health issues as determined by the community health assessment
  • Community health improvement plan (CHIP)*
  • Plan to monitor and revise the CHIP

*Community health boards/departments accredited by December 31, 2019 are not required to submit their strategic plan or CHIP.

How to report

The document Local public health assessment and planning 2015-2019 deliverables provides detailed information on how to submit these deliverables. These deliverables are due March 31, 2020.

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Fact sheet: Accountability requirements of the Local Public Health Act (PDF)