Area 2: Getting Results – Evaluating the Program

Award Criteria » Application Guidelines and Evaluation Criteria for Communities in Action » Area 2: Getting Results – Evaluating the Program

Describe how your program or your partners evaluate outcomes, the results your program or your partners have achieved, and how your program or your partners leverage these results to drive program improvement and program sustainability. Applicants describing only qualitative data, including anecdotal evidence, will receive partial credit. Examples of qualitative measures include non-monetary returns, such as reduced health disparities, stronger community relationships, or public relations or competitive advantages.

Area 2: Getting Results – Evaluating the Program (15 points)

Application Guidelines Evaluation Criteria
  • Discuss the measures your program and/or your partners track, both process measures and health outcome measures.
  • Describe how your program and/or your partners track health outcomes and progress against program goals (e.g., through the use of an asthma patient registry, electronic medical records, or other system to collect and analyze information on diagnoses, treatments, referrals, interventions, utilization and outcomes).
  • Describe the results your program or your partners have achieved.
  • Describe the results your program or your partners can attribute to its/their environmental asthma management activities.
  • Discuss how your program or your partners use results internally (e.g., to drive program and partner improvement and support planning) and externally (e.g., to attract funders and supporters).
  • Discuss your program’s or your partners’ methods for tracking program-wide costs and cost savings.
  • Describe cost savings or return on investment attributable to your program or your partners.
  • Describe how environmental management contributes to these cost savings or returns on investment.
  • Describe the results you have achieved in reducing asthma disparities in your community. 
  • Processes and procedures incorporated into the program’s design to ensure that evaluation (i.e., data collection and analysis) is a routine part of the asthma program.
  • The program tracks process measures (e.g., appropriate use of asthma medications, primary and specialty care visit rates).
  • The program and/or partners track health outcome measures such as reduced hospitalizations and ER visits, improved quality of life, and symptom - free days.
    • Example: Distinguishing Program Feature: A health department may work with local agencies to determine how to improve the collection of data across the state.
  • The program or partners track process measures and health outcomes attributable to environmental management (e.g., number of people with reduced exposure to environmental asthma triggers, number of persons with asthma implementing environmental controls).
    • Example: Distinguishing Program Feature: Ability to attribute results to home-based environmental interventions.
  • School Based Asthma Management Programs:
    • Example: Distinguishing Program Feature: Captures results on improved academic performance and decreased absenteeism.
  • The program or partners have achieved improved health outcomes compared to a baseline measurement.
  • Program evaluation data are shared and used internally and externally to guide strategic planning, program design and implementation.