Section 641.80.2. Definitions.

For the purposes of these rules, the following definitions apply:

“Allocation” means the process to distribute funds.

“Appropriation” means the funding category.

“Authorized agency” means a contractor or a private nonprofit or governmental organization delivering all or part of the LPHS funded by the LPHS contract.

“Community” means the aggregate of persons with common characteristics such as race, ethnicity, age, or occupation or other similarities such as location.

“Consumer” means an individual, family, or community utilizing essential public health services through the LPHS contract.

“Contractor” means a local board of health (LBOH).

“Core public health functions” means the scope of activities which serve as a broad framework for public health agencies. Core public health functions are:

            1.      Assessment, which means to regularly and systematically collect, assemble, analyze, and make available information on the health of the community, including statistics on health status, community health needs and personal health services and epidemiologic and other studies of health problems.

            2.      Policy development, which means efforts to serve the public interest in the development of comprehensive public health policies by promoting the use of a scientific knowledge base in decision making about public health and by taking the lead in comprehensive public health policy development.

            3.      Assurance, which means public health efforts to assure constituents that services necessary to achieve agreed-upon goals are provided either by encouraging actions by other entities (private or public sector), by requiring such action through regulation, or by providing services directly.

“Department” means the Iowa department of public health.

“Elderly” means an individual aged 60 years and older.

“Essential public health services” means activities carried out by the authorized agency fulfilling core public health functions. Essential public health services include:

            1.      Monitoring health status and understanding health issues facing the community.

            2.      Protecting people from health problems and health hazards.

            3.      Giving people information they need to make healthy choices.

            4.      Engaging the community to identify and solve health problems.

            5.      Developing public health policies and plans.

            6.      Enforcing public health laws and regulations.

            7.      Helping people receive health services.

            8.      Maintaining a competent public health workforce.

            9.      Evaluating and improving programs and interventions.

            10.     Contributing to and applying the evidence base of public health.

“Evaluation” means the process to measure the effectiveness of interventions by measuring outcomes against previously established goals and objectives.

“Financial resources” means the unrestricted assets owned by a consumer and, if applicable, the consumer’s spouse. The place of residence and one vehicle are exempt from consideration of resources.

“Formula” means the mathematical calculation applied to the state appropriation to determine the amount of available funds to be distributed to each county.

“Health promotion” means organizational, economic and environmental supports and education to stimulate healthy behaviors in individuals, groups or communities.

“Home care aide” means an individual who is trained and supervised to provide services, care, and emotional support to consumers in the home or in the community.

“Income” means all sources of revenue for the consumer and, if applicable, the consumer’s spouse.

“Local board of health”  or “LBOH”  means a county, city or district board of health as defined in Iowa Code section 137.102.

“Low income” means the U.S. Census Bureau’s Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates (SAIPE) (All Ages in Poverty) used to determine low income.

“LPHS” means local public health services.

“Nonprofit” means an entity meeting the requirements for tax-exempt status under the U.S. Internal Revenue Code.

“Orientation” means a period or process of introduction and adjustment to adapt the individual’s knowledge and skills from prior education to the individual’s current job duties.

“Outcome” means an action or event that follows as a result or consequence of the provision of a service or support.

“Personal health services” means health services delivered to individuals, including primary care, specialty care, hospital care, emergency care, and rehabilitative care. For the purpose of the LPHS contract, personal health services include nursing and home care aide activities.

“Population-based services” means interventions or activities for a community to promote health and to prevent disease, injury, disability, premature death, and exposure to environmental hazards.

“Procedures” means the steps to be taken to implement a policy.

“Protective services” means interventions or activities for a child or adult to alleviate, protect against, or prevent situations which could lead to abuse or neglect. For the purposes of the LPHS contract, protective services require an order from the justice system.

“Restricted assets” means assets typically involving a penalty for early withdrawal, such as IRA accounts, KEOGH accounts, 401(k) accounts, employee retirement accounts, and other deferred tax protected assets involving a penalty for early withdrawal.

“Sliding fee scale” means a scale of consumer fee responsibility based on an assessment of the consumer’s ability to pay all or a portion of the charge for services.

“Unrestricted assets” means assets that can be converted to cash.

“Vulnerable population” means individuals or groups in the community who are unable to promote and protect their personal or environmental health.

[ARC 1925C, IAB 4/1/15, effective 7/1/15]