In an era of public health system transformation, public health departments around the nation are adapting — or “modernizing” — to meet the growing and changing needs of their communities. To help states navigate the challenges inherent in public health system transformation, three grantee states selected by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) are participating in a learning community supported by the Public Health National Center for Innovations (PHNCI). The three grantee states — Ohio, Oregon and Washington — are working to test and implement the systems transformations required to provide the foundational public health services statewide and ensure that all residents have equitable access to public health.

The new framework asserts that governmental public health can provide more efficient and effective benefits by ensuring that a common set of population-based foundational public health services — including a basic set of capabilities and programs — be present in every community.