MAPP and the Evolution of Planning in Public Health Practice

In Brief Mobilizing for Action through Planning and Partnerships, the most recent planning tool in public health practice, is built upon a long history of planning by local public health agencies (LPHAs). Planning by LPHAs has evolved over half a century from the earliest problem/program-focused planning, through more comprehensive approaches like the Planned Approach to Community Health (PATCH) and the Assessment Protocol for Excellence in Public Health (APEXPH) to strategic planning of today. While LPHAs were not notably participants in the federally sponsored health planning of the 1960s and 1970s, this planning left a legacy in public health. Mobilizing for Action through Planning and Partnerships introduces strategic thinking and a systems orientation into public health planning that builds upon this legacy. This article discusses the evolution of planning within public health, and how this evolution and the forces now at work in the public health arena has lead to the development of Mobilizing for Action through Planning and Partnerships (MAPP).