National Association of County and City Health Officials

National Association of County and City Health Officials
Name	National Association of County and City Health Officials
Acronym	NACCHO
Formation	1960s
Type	Professional association
Headquarters	Washington, D.C.
Region served	United States
Membership	Local health departments

National Association of County and City Health Officials is a membership organization representing local public health agencies in the United States. It serves as a convening body for county and city health departments, provides technical assistance and training, and advocates on behalf of local health officials before federal entities and national organizations. The association works closely with federal agencies, philanthropic foundations, and academic institutions to strengthen capacity for infectious disease control, chronic disease prevention, emergency preparedness, and environmental health.

History

The association traces roots to mid-20th century public health networks that connected municipal boards and county health officers with national entities such as United States Public Health Service, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and American Public Health Association. During the Cold War era and the rise of federal public health programs under the Social Security Act amendments and initiatives linked to President Lyndon B. Johnson's Great Society, local health departments sought coordinated representation, leading to national organizing alongside organizations like Association of State and Territorial Health Officials and National Association of County Officials. Over subsequent decades the organization expanded its portfolio in response to events including the HIV/AIDS epidemic, the emergence of antimicrobial resistance challenges highlighted by World Health Organization, and public health emergencies such as the H1N1 influenza pandemic and the COVID-19 pandemic. Partnerships developed with academic centers such as Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, and collaborations with philanthropic funders like the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation helped professionalize local health leadership.

Mission and Activities

The association's mission centers on supporting local health departments to protect community health, promote prevention, and respond to health threats, coordinating closely with national stakeholders such as Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health, and Federal Emergency Management Agency. Core activities include workforce development through programs modeled on public health training centers affiliated with Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health, data and surveillance capacity-building with partners like Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists and Public Health Accreditation Board, and technical assistance for programs addressing maternal and child health, environmental health, and substance use disorders with alignment to guidance from Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

Organizational Structure and Governance

The association is governed by an elected board and committees representing metropolitan, county, and rural jurisdictions, with bylaws that define membership categories for local health departments and affiliates including city and county executives. Leadership transitions have been informed by governance models used by organizations such as American Medical Association and National League of Cities, with advisory input from academic consortia including Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health and policy guidance aligned with Institute of Medicine reports. Regional networks and task forces coordinate workstreams on emergency preparedness, informatics, and laboratory services in collaboration with entities like Association of Public Health Laboratories.

Programs and Initiatives

Programmatic work has emphasized preparedness through initiatives aligned with the Hospital Preparedness Program and the Public Health Emergency Preparedness Cooperative Agreement, immunization efforts tied to recommendations from the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, and community health improvement planning consistent with Healthy People objectives. Initiatives include antibiotic stewardship campaigns informed by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance, opioid overdose response partnerships that coordinate with Office of National Drug Control Policy, and climate and environmental health projects partnering with National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and Environmental Protection Agency. Workforce initiatives include leadership fellowships patterned after programs at Kellogg Foundation-supported sites and training curricula developed with university partners.

Funding and Partnerships

Funding streams combine federal cooperative agreements from agencies such as Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Department of Health and Human Services, philanthropic grants from organizations like the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and Gates Foundation, and program contracts with state and local agencies. Strategic partnerships include collaborations with Association of State and Territorial Health Officials, Public Health Accreditation Board, and academic partners at institutions such as Emory University and University of California, Berkeley. Cooperative work with Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Department of Homeland Security has supported public health emergency readiness and cross-sector exercises.

Advocacy and Policy Influence

The association provides advocacy before the United States Congress, federal agencies including Department of Health and Human Services and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and appears in coalitions with groups such as American Public Health Association and Trust for America's Health. Policy priorities have included funding for public health infrastructure, statutory changes impacting local authority for communicable disease control, and regulatory issues linked to environmental health rules promulgated by the Environmental Protection Agency. The organization produces policy statements and testifies at hearings, engaging with committees such as the United States Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions and the United States House Committee on Energy and Commerce.

Awards and Publications

The association issues recognition and awards for local health achievement modeled on practices used by organizations like Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health and American Public Health Association, and publishes guidance, toolkits, and peer-reviewed summaries in partnership with academic journals and centers including Health Affairs and Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. Regular publications include programmatic toolkits for emergency preparedness, white papers on workforce development, and data reports synthesizing national surveys of local health department capacity coordinated with National Association of County Officials and research partners. Educational resources and communications materials support accreditation efforts with the Public Health Accreditation Board and continuous quality improvement initiatives.

Category:Public health organizations in the United States