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Indian Health Service Tribal Epidemiology Centers Assessment
The first Tribal Epidemiology Center (TEC) was established in 1997,
with other TECs established over the following decade to provide
regional capacity throughout all of Indian Country. As the program
is now fully established, the Indian Health Service is interested
in assessing the performance and limitations of the TECs,
relative to the IHS DEPD and individual TEC goals and objective,
the needs of the TECS that would assist them to strengthen their
performance, and identify recommendations for the future development
of the TECs.
Sundance Research Institute, in partnership with Econometrica, Inc.,
has developed an approach to the assessment of the IHS Tribal
Epidemiology Centers that has three major components:
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Development of an historical and current profile of each TEC. Because the
12 TECs have original start up dates that range from 1997 to 2008,
some are “mature” and others are in early development stages with
less history and evolution. The profiles will provide a description
of each TEC and permit it to be compared to TECs of the same stage
of development. Individual TEC profiles will be constructed to
describe the history and development of each TEC. In addition,
a summary report will be prepared that will permit a comparison across
the TECS that will document evolution over time in organizational
characteristics and development to determine the extent to which TECs
of the same cohort are developing similarly or differently and whether
there are patterns of development that emerge from this examination.
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Assessment of TEC success in achieving IHS DEPD requirements as
stated in the Cooperative Agreement Funding Announcement and assessment
of TEC success in achieving specific goals and objectives in each TEC’s
submitted Work Plan.
An Assessment Tool will be developed with three components:
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An initial general section that focuses on IHS requirements of TECs,
based on the most recent funding announcement under which the
TEC is operating.
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A TEC-specific section that focuses on the specific Work Plan goals
and objectives of each TEC.
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A section on challenges, limitations, and recommendations for
future development and changes in the TEC program.
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Assessment of the progress and status of each TEC in developing
as a public health entity will be conducted, using the Local Public
Health System Performance Assessment Instrument developed by the
National Public Health Performance Standards Program (NPHPSP).
The NPHPSP is a collaborative program of CDC, American Public
Health Association, Association of State and Territorial Health
Officials, National Association of County and City Health Officials,
National Association of Local Boards of Health, National Network of
Public Health Institutes, and the Public Health Foundation.
The Assessment Tool is based on the ten Essential Public
Health Services.
This approach to the Assessment of the TECs has been designed to
provide a comprehensive and detailed understanding of the current
accomplishments and successes of the Tribal Epidemiology Center
Program and of the individual TECs. In addition, the approach
offers the opportunity to identify limitations and challenges faced
by the TECs in meeting the goals and objectives of the TEC Program
and potential changes and directions that would strengthen the
program as it moves forward.
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