Roles and Responsibilities of Local Public Health Governing Boards
About This Training
This training module provides an introduction to the key roles and responsibilities that North Carolina local boards of health are charged with.
For all new public health governing board members, the recommended prerequisite to this training is Introduction to Public Health in North Carolina. Other trainings for boards of health are available on the page Boards of Health Training Offerings.
This training material is intended to align with the board of health training referenced in North Carolina Local Health Department Accreditation Activity 36.2. It is designed for local boards of health as well as county commissioners and consolidated human service agencies who have local public health governing authority.
In-Person Training Option
The online version of this training can be completed by individuals or viewed by groups. If you plan to show this content to a group, please contact Cherelle Whitfield at cwwhitfi@email.unc.edu for more information.
As an alternative to the online content, an in-person version of this training is also available. In-person trainings are led by retired North Carolina health directors or former board of health members. To schedule an in-person training session, complete our North Carolina Local Board of Health Training Request form. For questions, contact Cherelle Whitfield at cwwhitfi@email.unc.edu.
Online Training
The online version of this training consists of an introduction and three lessons. Recommended browsers for viewing the lessons include the latest versions of: Google Chrome, Firefox, Microsoft Edge and Safari.
This digital content is available for no charge.
Introduction and Overview
The training overview outlines the overall goal and the learning objectives for the training. It also defines some relevant terminology.
Access the Introduction and Overview lesson.
Lesson 1: Public Health Milestones, Current Challenges and the Core Functions
The first lesson provides an overview of key concepts in public health, including major accomplishments of public health, current challenges and the relationship between the work of local boards of health and the core functions and 10 Essential Services of Public Health.
Access Lesson 1: Public Health Milestones, Current Challenges and the Core Functions.
Lesson 2: Legal Responsibilities and Authority
This lesson focuses on the sources of public health law in North Carolina and the legal responsibilities and authority of public health in North Carolina as distributed to local health departments, health directors and boards of health.
Access Lesson 2: Legal Responsibilities and Authority.
Lesson 3: Public Health Governing Structures, Board Member Roles and Effective Governance
The final lesson describes different possible structures for local public health governing boards and variations in authorities as well as governance strategies for serving as an effective board of health member.
Access Lesson 3: Public Health Governing Structures, Board Member Roles and Effective Governance.
Evaluation and Completion Certificate
Complete the evaluation to receive your certificate of completion.
Partners
This online training series is provided by the North Carolina Institute for Public Health at the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health, in collaboration with the North Carolina Division of Public Health, North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services. Funding support was provided by the North Carolina Division of Public Health.