Sustainability of public health programs: the example of tobacco treatment services in Massachusetts
LaPelle, Nancy R ; Zapka, Jane G. ; Ockene, Judith K.
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Student Authors
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UMass Chan Affiliations
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Keywords
Community Mental Health Centers
administration
Financing, Government
Health Resources
Health Services Research
Humans
Interviews as Topic
Massachusetts
Organizational Objectives
Personnel Staffing and Scheduling
Planning Techniques
Program Evaluation
Public Health Administration
*Public Policy
Qualitative Research
Smoking Cessation
Substance Abuse Treatment Centers
administration
Life Sciences
Medicine and Health Sciences
Women's Studies
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Link to Full Text
Abstract
Sustaining important public or grant-funded services after initial funding is terminated is a major public health challenge. We investigated whether tobacco treatment services previously funded within a statewide tobacco control initiative could be sustained after state funding was terminated abruptly. We found that 2 key strategies-redefining the scope of services being offered and creative use of resources-were factors that determined whether some community agencies were able to sustain services at a much higher level than others after funding was discontinued. Understanding these strategies and developing them at a time when program funding is not being threatened is likely to increase program sustainability.
Source
Am J Public Health. 2006 Aug;96(8):1363-9. Epub 2006 Jun 29. Link to article on publisher's site