Assessing Local Public Health Governance in North Carolina Across Organizational and Governance Configurations.

Abstract

Background: Every county in North Carolina must include a board of health (BOH) with specific prescribed duties and powers. It is unclear how BOHs in North Carolina are currently exercising their governance ability. In 2012, the North Carolina General Assembly provided coun-ties with additional flexibility to select among different configurations for their local health department (LHD). The impact of this flexibility on the governance and service delivery of LHDs is yet to be explored.

Methods: We conducted semi-structured interviews with LHD directors and BOH members to assess the strengths and weaknesses of BOHs within different local public health configurations across North Carolina. We employed conventional content analysis to derive themes from the interview transcripts.

Results: BOHs were largely described as an underutilized institution, with few BOHs noted to be active beyond satisfying their required legal duties. Strong BOHs were noted to fulfill three identities on behalf of the LHD: an advocate, a bridge, and an advisor. The majority of interviewees desired to work in a standalone county health department (as opposed to a consolidated human services agency) with an appointed (versus elected) board of health. This configuration was preferred because, according to participants, it is more likely to enable a structural focus on public health initiatives.

Limitations: Our sample frame did not control for the length of time an interviewee had been in the office nor the professional background of each BOH member.

Conclusions: Wide variations exist in the exercise of BOHs across the state, partially due to how different LHD configurations structurally focus resources and attention on public health.