Lessons learned from an academic health department.

Consensus has been reached in the United States on the mission and core functions of local health departments as well as services required to maximize community health status. Most local health departments do not have the financial or professional resources required to carry out all of the responsibilities assigned them. One way to improve competence is to develop partnerships with other agencies and institutions. One type of partnership that should be explored is linkages between local health departments and academic institutions. An example of such a partnership is described in this article.