Definitions, Criteria, and Standards for Foundational Public Health Responsibilities

This framework helps describe the full scope of the foundational governmental public health work. Learn more: Foundational Public Health Responsibilities and Framework.

Foundational areas: Definitions

Areas are population-based activities specific to topics and programs.

• Access to and linkage with clinical care
• Chronic disease and injury prevention
• Communicable disease control
• Environmental public health
• Maternal, child, and family health

Foundational capabilities: Definitions

Minnesota’s governmental public health system must have the ability to carry out these activities and categories of activities.

• Accountability and performance management
• Assessment and surveillance
• Communications
• Community partnership development
• Emergency preparedness and response
• Equity
• Organizational competencies
• Policy development and support

To view or print definitions in a single responsibility, click the links above. To print definitions for all responsibilities at once, see pp. 17-38 of Standards for Fulfillment of Foundational Public Health Responsibilities: Recommendations of the SCHSAC FPHR Workgroup (PDF).

What's foundational?

The following criteria can help Minnesota’s governmental public health system distinguish foundational responsibilities from community-specific priorities. 

Foundational public health responsibilities are the minimum package of public health services that governmental public health should deliver to communities, and that should be available everywhere, for public health to work anywhere. It includes foundational capabilities and foundational areas that must be available to all people served by the governmental public health system and that meet one or more of these criteria: 

1. Mandated by federal or state laws. 
   Foundational includes work mandated by state or federal law for governmental public health to provide.
2. Governmental public health system is the only or primary provider statewide.
   Foundational responsibilities are consistent across regions and throughout the state, though the methods of funding, implementation, and roles and responsibilities to carry out functions might vary.
3. Population-based (versus individual services), focused on disease prevention, protection, and health promotion. 
   Population-based approaches, programs, or interventions aim to improve health outcomes for entire groups rather than individuals, address the collective conditions and systems that influence health outcomes, and involve collaboration and use of data to inform action.

Foundational capabilities are cross-cutting skills, abilities, and knowledge needed in any governmental public health system to provide basic public health protections. 

Foundational areas are topic-specific public health programs or initiatives aimed at improving the health of a population. 

In addition to the foundational capabilities and foundational areas, the framework developed by the Public Health Accreditation Board (PHAB) Center for Innovation describes community-specific services [sic] as local protections and services that are unique to a community. These services are essential to that community’s health and vary by community or jurisdiction.

Standards to demonstrate fulfillment

The standards to demonstrate fulfillment of foundational public health responsibilities represent the minimum of what a community health board needs to demonstrate if it wants to use the FPHR Grant for community-specific priorities as identified in its community health assessment and planning process. 

Glossary

Use this glossary to help ground your understanding of foundational responsibilities.

How were these definitions, criteria, and standards developed?

In Minnesota, governmental public health agencies work together to help all Minnesotans live their healthiest lives no matter who they are or where they live. 

A set of foundational public health responsibilities (above) defines what must be in place everywhere for public health to work anywhere. Health departments need a common understanding of foundational work for it to happen consistently and effectively statewide.

The Foundational Public Health Responsibilities Grant (FPHR Grant) is intended to build local capacity for foundational work in Minnesota. If community health boards can demonstrate foundational responsibilities are fulfilled in their jurisdiction, they can use the FPHR Grant for community-specific priorities identified in their community health assessment and planning processes.

The SCHSAC Foundational Public Health Responsibilities Workgroup clarified definitions, criteria, and standards for foundational public health responsibilities in Minnesota, and recommended a process to demonstrate fulfillment of those responsibilities.

For more information and background, read the workgroup's recommendations: Standards for Fulfillment of Foundational Public Health Responsibilities: Recommendations of the SCHSAC FPHR Workgroup (PDF).