Parissa J Ballard1, Melinda Pankratz2, Kimberly G Wagoner2, Jennifer Cornacchione Ross2, Scott D Rhodes2, Sunday Azagba3, Eunyoung Y Song4, Mark Wolfson5. 1. Wake Forest School of Medicine, Family & Community Medicine, Piedmont Plaza Building 1, 1920 W 1st St., Winston-Salem, NC, 27104, USA. pballard@wakehealth.edu. 2. Wake Forest School of Medicine, Social Sciences and Health Policy, Piedmont Plaza Building 1, 1920 W 1st St., Winston-Salem, NC, 27104, USA. 3. University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, USA. 4. Health Quality Partners, Doylestown, PA, USA. 5. University of California, Riverside, USA.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: This study examines how the North Carolina state prevention system responded to a policy shift from individual-level prevention strategies to environmental strategies from the perspective of the organizations implementing the policy shift. METHODS: We use two data sources. First, we conducted interviews to collect qualitative data from key informants. Second, we used prevention provider agency expenditure data from the year the shift was announced and the following year. RESULTS: The interviews allowed us to identify effective features of policy change implementation in complex systems, such as the need for clear communication and guidance about the policy changes. Our interview and expenditure analyses also underscore variation in the level of guidance and oversight provided by implementing agencies to prevention providers. CONCLUSIONS: Our analyses suggest that more active monitoring and oversight may have facilitated more consistent implementation of the policy shift toward greater use of environmental prevention strategies.
BACKGROUND: This study examines how the North Carolina state prevention system responded to a policy shift from individual-level prevention strategies to environmental strategies from the perspective of the organizations implementing the policy shift. METHODS: We use two data sources. First, we conducted interviews to collect qualitative data from key informants. Second, we used prevention provider agency expenditure data from the year the shift was announced and the following year. RESULTS: The interviews allowed us to identify effective features of policy change implementation in complex systems, such as the need for clear communication and guidance about the policy changes. Our interview and expenditure analyses also underscore variation in the level of guidance and oversight provided by implementing agencies to prevention providers. CONCLUSIONS: Our analyses suggest that more active monitoring and oversight may have facilitated more consistent implementation of the policy shift toward greater use of environmental prevention strategies.
Entities:
Keywords:
Environmental strategies; Policy; State prevention system; Substance misuse prevention; Systems change
Authors: Mark Wolfson; Heather Champion; Thomas P McCoy; Scott D Rhodes; Edward H Ip; Jill N Blocker; Barbara Alvarez Martin; Kimberly G Wagoner; Mary Claire O'Brien; Erin L Sutfin; Ananda Mitra; Robert H Durant Journal: Alcohol Clin Exp Res Date: 2012-07-23 Impact factor: 3.455