Model for Improvement - Charter Example

This is the Collaborative Charter used in the New York State Pilot Healthy People 2020 State Action grant, 2009-2010, and then Logic Model: Facilitating Policy and Environment Change Promoting Physical Activity and Healthy Eating in Schools

Call for Action

In New York and nationally, overweight and obesity are increasing among children and adults. As a result, for the first time in history, children are predicted to have shorter life expectancies than their parents.

Close to 20 percent of Hispanic teens and African-American teens are overweight compared to 13 percent of Caucasian youth. The prevalence of obesity among elementary school children (K-5) in New York State has increased dramatically between 1988 and 2004. Overweight and obesity are more prevalent among children from low-income households.

Obesity, which may be addressed by healthy eating and adequate physical activity, costs New York State more than $6 billion annually in direct medical expenditures for related diseases such as heart disease, stroke, asthma, diabetes, psychological conditions and disability for adults and children.

Mission

The mission in New York State is to decrease the prevalence of overweight and obesity, and to reduce the burden of obesity-related diseases by improving healthy eating and increased physical activity among elementary schoolchildren in three pilot counties. The mission of the Collaborative is to integrate and build upon existing healthy eating and physical activity initiatives in the communities to support and improve policies that facilitate healthy eating and adequate levels of physical activity.

Collaborative Goals

Each of the three communities chose either a nutrition or physical activity focus in a school and by May 2010, aimed to achieve:

  • A 5 percent improvement in sales of healthy foods in the school cafeteria; or
  • An increase in physical activity by 20 minutes per week for children.

Methods

Each team was expected to state and accomplish a specific goal relating to improved evidence-based policy and project goals for improved nutrition and physical activity. For the work of this Collaborative, organizations were expected to collect and report sample data monthly.

Collaborative Expectations

The overall Collaborative staff provided:

  • Information on subject matter, application of that subject matter, and methods for process improvement during and between Learning Sessions
  • Coaching by expert faculty and improvement advisors
  • Communication strategies to keep organizations connected to the Planning Group and colleagues during the Collaborative

Participating teams were expected to:

  • Identify a multidisciplinary team to participate to improve care
  • Identify a senior leader to serve as sponsor for the team working on the Breakthrough Series Collaborative Project
  • Connect the goals to a strategic initiative in the community
  • Participate in all Learning Sessions (virtual or in-person)
  • Provide the resources to support their team, including resources necessary for Learning Sessions, time to devote to this effort, and active senior leadership involvement
  • Perform tests of change leading to process improvements in their organization
  • Collect and report data monthly
  • Share information within the Collaborative project staff, faculty and other teams, including details of changes made and data to support these changes, both during and between Learning Sessions