Norwalk Health Department narrows performance measures, completes flu‑clinic SOP and standardized grant filings

Aniela Sennon presented the Norwalk Health Department’s quarterly performance management and quality‑improvement update at the Board of Health meeting March 25, outlining completed projects, staffing constraints and next steps for departmentwide QI work.

Sennon described the department’s performance management system: divisions set objectives and quarterly targets, track progress with color-coded status (dark green = met, light green = near target, yellow = some work remaining, red = needs improvement, gray = not measured this quarter) and report results in an annual analysis. This year the department tracks 76 measures, down from “the hundred and something” reported last year, Sennon said; most measures were in the green or near-target categories.

Sennon described two completed quality‑improvement projects. The first focused on community flu clinics: the team tested multiple outreach approaches and found that low‑cost strategies such as social media produced strong clinic attendance; the project also produced a standard operating procedure to make clinic flow and roles consistent across community, in‑house and worksite clinics. “We feel confident that this will be very, very helpful going forward into our next flu season,” Sennon said.

The second completed QI project created a standardized grant‑filing system: the department now stores formal grant documents (final proposals, contracts, program and financial reports) in a single, repeatable folder structure and has developed a short staff PowerPoint training on the system.

Sennon outlined next steps: deliver basic QI training to new staff, provide Kaizen‑style coaching on small incremental improvements, consider hiring a consultant to coach the QI work group, run rapid‑cycle projects to refine flu‑clinic operations, and pilot an IT asset‑tracking project to inventory grant‑funded equipment.

Board members and staff also discussed environmental health operations and workforce challenges. Division leaders reported persistent vacancies that have reduced food and salon inspection capacity; Sennon and Director Deanna D’Amore said those shortfalls are largely driven by statewide certification requirements and local budgeted positions. D’Amore said the department recently filled one training officer role (Kevin Closer) which will allow local certification training and could improve capacity over time, and that the department will post one vacant sanitarian role as a health inspector with lower entry qualifications to build an internal pipeline.

Board member Ken Loline asked how the department measures partial completion when a metric depends on activity outside department control. Sennon said the team has adjusted denominators to avoid skewed percentages where outcomes are influenced by external factors (for example, state reporting delays or canceled regional meetings).

Sennon emphasized that the QI work group meets quarterly, includes staff from across divisions and has produced a department newsletter to improve internal awareness. The board did not vote on new policy; the presentation was informational and identified projects and staffing changes the department plans to pursue.