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The University of
South Alabama (USA), Department of Medical Genetics’ Alabama Birth
Defects Surveillance and Prevention Program (ABDSPP) has submitted a
proposal, and has been awarded, a subcontract with Northrop Grumman to
plan a FASD Initiative for the State of Alabama (Alabama FASD Initiative,
or AFI). We have been appointed as a bona fide agent of the Alabama
Department of Public Health to be the lead agency. This initiative is
intended to be a major step toward creating an integrated and sustainable
State system for FASD prevention, screening, diagnosis and services
through coordination at the State level.
Key collaborating partners include:
Alabama Department
of Public Health (ADPH)
Alabama Department of Rehabilitation Services (ADRS)
Alabama Department of Mental Health/Mental Retardation (ADMH/MR)
Alabama Medicaid Agency
Center for Demographic and Cultural Research, Auburn University,
Montgomery, AL
Phase One is a planning year. We will convene a Task Force, conduct a
Needs Assessment and develop a Strategic Plan. If successful, we will be
funded for up to four additional years. In year two we will implement
the plan, collect evaluation data and document the implementation
process.
The goal of this program is to reduce cases of FASD by eliminating
alcohol consumption by pregnant women and improve functioning and quality
of life of children or adults with FASD.
The first critical step is to establish a Task Force. It is important to
include a variety of stakeholders. These stakeholders will be
instrumental in achieving a coordinated, collaborative statewide effort.
It is proposed that the Task Force will hold four daylong (6 hour)
sessions in a central location in Montgomery, AL, (as well as conduct
conference calls and additional meetings, if deemed necessary by the Task
Force). Session one will be organizational – primarily to present
strategies to define and access the population at risk; session two will
be mainly dedicated to the analysis and draft of recommendations based
upon the analysis of the population at risk, prepared by the staff and
its consultants (Needs Assessment); and sessions three and four will be
dedicated to the development of a Strategic Plan, attuned to the Needs
Assessment.
Based on your self-evident expertise and experience in public health and
medicine, we believe you would be a great asset to the AFI Task Force,
and we invite you to join in the leadership of this initiative. Task
Force Members will be urged, and provided with support by AFI staff and
consultants, to explore novel and alternative approaches to minimize the
effects of alcohol on fetuses in our state.
Thank you for your
consideration, and we are looking forward to working with you on this
initiative. If you have any questions, please contact me by phone at
(251) 460-6040 or by e-mail at
boliver@usouthal.edu.
Barbara H. Oliver, CRNP
AFI
Project Director |
Wladimir Wertelecki, M.D.
ABDSPP Program
Director |
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To All Task
Force Members
The Alabama Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Disorder
Initiative is charged with developing a comprehensive four-year
strategic plan for “creating an integrated and sustainable state
system for FASD prevention, screening, diagnosis, and services
through coordination at the state level.”
Although participating state agency representatives have considerable
experience in strategic planning, other task force members may have
limited knowledge of ,or experience in, strategic planning, The
tutorials (accessible from the menu on the left) fulfill three purposes:
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To educate novice planners about the process
and elements of strategic planning
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To review the elements of strategic planning
for more experienced planners, and
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To inform task force
participants of the process that will be used to complete the
strategic plan in Phase I of the initiative.
Each tutorial may be downloaded to your
computer, viewed on-line, or printed. It is recommended that you
complete each tutorial in order well in advance of the task force’s
first planning meeting.
[1]
Northrop Grumman Information Technology, Inc. – Health Solutions,
Statement of Work, p. 1.
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