LibGuides: Ohio Public Health Practitioners: Program Planning and Evaluation

Program Planning and Evaluation

The essential elements of program planning and evaluation are the same for any size of public health intervention or program.

Health data can be used to present community health issues in a clear, quantifiable way to help gain support within an organization or to obtain external funding for a new program.
Logic models outline inputs and outputs of program elements and the expected outcomes.
Evaluation methods can be helpful at multiple stages of a program, either to justify iterative changes or measure program impact

Planning and evaluation tools are available to public health practitioners to help make the case for resource allocation, execute a program effectively, and communicate outcomes.

Find Community Health Data Sources

Center for Disease Control and Prevention - Data and Statistics
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data and statistics website has reports and search tools arranged by topic
Health and Medical Care Archive
Health and Medical Care Archive (HCMA) is the data Archive of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
Ohio Dept. of Health Data and Statistics
Find data about Ohio and run reports through interactive applications. From this page you can access Public Health Data Warehouse, information about the online state health assessment, and reports on specific health-related topics for Ohio.
Rural Health Information Hub Data Visualizations
Provides access to a range of tools to explore issues that impact rural health. The visualizations are based on data from federal and other publicly available data sources, and illustrate that data in a variety of formats to show how rural areas compare. Data is also available for download.

Search Funding Sources for Public Health Projects

Accessing Community Benefit
Community Catalyst website has information for organizations interested in accessing Community Benefit dollars from local hospitals for community health projects. This website gives tools and resources about the benefit and how local public health organizations can partner with hospitals to meet community needs.
ASPPH Teach & Research Funding Opportunities
Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health (ASPPH) website features health-related grant opportunities from various foundations and federal agencies. Some of these grants may be more appropriate for larger organizations with capacity for research staff and community partners.
Grants.gov
A centralized collection of grant opportunities from federal grant-making agencies.This site features an online search tool and grant writing resources that can be utilized by organizations of various functions and sizes.
ODH Grants
Ohio Department of Health grants page provides information on project funding available to organizations in Ohio and tools to help prepare a successful application.

Learn More About Logic Models and Program Evaluation

CDC Evaluation Resources
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Program Performance and Evaluation Office has free resources for programs from initial planning with logic models through evaluation of results.
SAMHSA Resources for Program Evaluation
A searchable collection of grantee stories, tools, and resources related to evaluating substance abuse and mental health programs.
University of Wisconsin Extension Logic Models
Logic models are great tools for planning programs. This page provides information, templates, and examples of logic models. The general page for UW Extension's Program Development and Evaluation offers a rich selection of tools that are extremely useful, including many info sheets on evaluating programs.
W.K. Kellogg Foundation Evaluation Handbook
"A new Step-by-Step Guide to Evaluation released in November 2017 for grantees, nonprofits and community leaders is a successor for the original Evaluation Handbook that was published in 1998 and revised in 2014."
W.K. Kellogg Foundation Logic Model Development Guide
Resources from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation for evaluation of community programs

Find Books at an Ohio Library

Dissemination and Implementation Research in Health by Ross C. Brownson (Editor); Graham A. Colditz (Editor); Enola K. Proctor (Editor)
ISBN: 019068321X
Publication Date: 2017-12-08
The application of scientific research to the creation of evidence-based policies is a science unto itself - and one that is never easy. Dissemination and implementation research (D & I) is the study of how scientific advances can be implemented into everyday life, and understanding how it works has never been more important for students and professionals across the scientific, academic, and governmental communities.
Evaluating Health Promotion by Margaret Thorogood (Editor); Yolande Coombes (Editor)
Publication Date: 2010-07-01
This book provides clear descriptions of reliable evaluation methods, and the problems that can arise from their implementation. Both qualitative and quantitative methods that are commonly used are described and the problems and benefits that arise with their use are explained.

Other Guides

Program Evaluation Resources Guide
Program Evaluation Resources Guide maintained by Prior Health Sciences Library staff