Your covid numbers started going down and you took a well-deserved breath of relief that you made it through the pandemic. Even though vaccine rates were very low, ICU’s and hospitals overall were seeing things inch back towards normal till it hit with a new variant, DELTA! Last week I received the sad news that Read more about Inventive incentives boost vaccine rates[…]
One of the great freedoms of being an American is our right to self-determination. Sometimes those freedoms lead to poor decision making such as choosing not to wear a seatbelt or walking through poison ivy with shorts on. When I was a child everyone believed in the power of vaccines. Every child in school put Read more about Changing the minds of anti-vaccers[…]
One of the most enjoyable parts of helping health departments go from obscure to well-known agencies is when administrators have “light bulb” moments. These “ah ha” moments often come when they discover simple steps that were right under their noses, many they can adopt immediately. How did I see these lost opportunities when they did Read more about What Henry Ford, Vincent van Gogh and your health department have in common?[…]
The presidential election drove a huge wedge between people of differing political ideologies. Now that it is over, the new administration is seeking a $1.6 billion funding increase for the CDC and to improve core services at the federal and state level. There is also an increase in funding for preparedness of roughly $900 million. Read more about Is money on the way?[…]
Since 2008 local health departments have lost about 25% of their staff due to budget cuts that still have not been restored. As painful as those cuts were, what has been particularly troubling is how ill prepared our system was to address the pandemic and beyond. Many public health professionals have opted for early retirement, Read more about Montgomery County Health Department, Success During Pandemic[…]
Over the past several months, many public health leaders I consult with tell me the same things; they are so overwhelmed by trying to do contact tracing and drive through testing that they have a hard time managing flu vaccines and other core services that have been overlooked. Some have a critical need to fill Read more about On your mark…..get set…..GO! Covid Vaccine Coming[…]
Our history is full of national tragedies, financial ruin, world wars and pandemics yet during those dark times businesses thrived. How? When there is a slowdown, one of the first reactions is to curl up and lay low. To cut back, to take a conservative, wait and see path. While this path seems safe, it Read more about Why some succeed during a crisis in spite of failed local leadership….[…]
When I was a young man in my early 20’s I found myself in the unenviable position of needing a job and fast. One day as I was walking down the street a few blocks from my rental unit, I came upon a bunch of old radios from the 1930’s and televisions from the 1940’s Read more about Is Coronavirus your Heavy Weight Championship?[…]
Pretzel Logic? No, I’m not referring to the album by Steely Dan……. The other day I had a call with a group of my clients about how branding and marketing are as important to their health departments as the furniture and carpeting. Even more so… One administrator shared, the days of non-stop traffic coming through Read more about Pretzel Logic?[…]
In a world of endless choices it’s no wonder your potential patients and customers are confused. Being bombarded with non-stop stimuli and sensory input. Like a fog of baking flour blown off the kitchen counter they have a difficult time seeing what you are trying to convey. In the past creating a cool logo, a Read more about What branding can do for your business![…]
Each year it seems some of the revenue streams your agency has counted on are disappearing. This uncomfortable magic is creating a new set of challenges. Some take the approach of a “thrift” such as cutting expenses, cutting programs, laying off staff and waiving the white flag of surrender. They look around and see others Read more about Develop New Revenue Streams[…]
It’s no secret that you will NEVER hit the targets you don’t aim for. To put it another way, unless you have a clear destination in mind, you simply won’t arrive and if you do you’ll arrive confused. Picasso once wrote, “Our goals can only be reached through a vehicle of a plan, in which Read more about Five Keys to Growing Your Health Department in 2020[…]