Buncombe County Health and Human Services (BCHHS) invites qualified organizations to provide services to provide research, planning, implementation, and evaluation of an Academic Health Department Model within the Public Health Department of BCHHS during fiscal years 2025, 2026, and 2027. The Noth Carolina Institute of Medicine Report: Foundations of Health and Opportunity: Investing in the Future of Local Public Health in North Carolina includes building the future local public health workforce with a strategy of developing a network of public health programs. By implementing an Academic Health Department model at BCHHSDepartment of Public Health, this will allow the health department and academic institutions to “strengthen the links between the education of public health professionals and the practice of public health”. (North Carolina Institute of Medicine , 2022) The purpose of this project will be to create a partnership for joint education, research, and practice, enabling the practice of public health and academic communities to work together to develop the current and future public health workforce, build the evidence base for public health, and better deliver the Essential Public Health Services. (Public Health Foundation , n.d.)
