Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment: STEPP
Stakeholder Engagement and Strategic Planning
Challenge
In 2004, Coloradans passed a new constitutional amendment (Amendment 35) that increased taxes on cigarettes and other tobacco products. The funds were to be applied toward health care services and tobacco education within the state. Under the amendment, the state was required to conduct an inclusive, comprehensive strategic planning initiative to ensure the new $35 million program was managed wisely. SageRiver Consulting was retained to complete the project by the State Tobacco Education Prevention Program (STEPP) of the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment’s Prevention Services Division.
Project
SageRiver delivered a comprehensive strategic plan within seven months. Work included:
- Conducting strategic planning and priority setting
- Engaging and facilitating stakeholder input and ownership through surveys, conference calls, key stakeholder interviews, public meetings, workgroups (4) / steering committee / review committee
- Collecting and incorporating input from more than 350 geographically dispersed stakeholders, including community-based organizations, faith-based organizations and local health agencies
- Developing presentations for legislative approval, as required by Amendment 35
Results
The strategic plan more than met the requirements outlined in Amendment 35. This inclusive, insightful plan received national recognition from the Centers for Disease Control and became a model for other tobacco prevention programs throughout the country.
Story Categories: Strategic Planning. Story Tags: Communications Planning, Custom Facilitation, Environmental Scan, Executive Buy-In Process, Facilitation, Government Agencies, Health Care, Organizational Assessment, Project Architecture, Stakeholder Engagement, and Strategic Planning.
- Conducting strategic planning and priority setting
- Engaging and facilitating stakeholder input and ownership through surveys, conference calls, key stakeholder interviews, public meetings, workgroups (4) / steering committee / review committee
- Collecting and incorporating input from more than 350 geographically dispersed stakeholders, including community-based organizations, faith-based organizations and local health agencies
- Developing presentations for legislative approval, as required by Amendment 35
