Local Health Department Values and Organizational Authorities Guiding Cross-Sector Work During COVID-19

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Health Policy
• Intersectoral Collaboration

Background:

• The COVID-19 pandemic underscored the critical role of Local Health Departments (LHDs) in addressing complex public health challenges.
• Cross-sector collaboration is essential for LHDs to tackle issues beyond their sole capacity.
• Understanding how LHDs leverage organizational authorities and align values in partnerships is vital.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the values and organizational authorities utilized by LHDs in their cross-sectoral work.
• To understand how LHD leadership approaches value alignment and strategic use of authorities in intersectoral partnerships.

Main Methods:

• Conducted semi-structured interviews with 19 public health leaders from metropolitan LHDs in the United States.
• Assessed prioritized values and leveraged organizational authorities influencing external decision-making.

Main Results:

• LHDs employed a variety of values and authorities, including economic, political, moral, scientific, and logistical.
• Value alignment was approached on a sector-by-sector basis, with strategic use of authorities.
• The emphasis on specific authorities varied based on alignment with core organizational values.

Conclusions:

• LHD leadership must enhance communication of public health values and unique authorities to facilitate health-supporting work.
• Adaptation of communication strategies is necessary depending on the specific sectors and governance arrangements involved in partnerships.