TY - JOUR AU - Brandert, Kathleen AU - McCarthy, Claudine AU - Grimm, Brandon AU - Svoboda, Colleen AU - Palm, David AU - Stimpson, Jim P. PY - 2014 TI - A Model for Training Public Health Workers in Health Policy: the Nebraska Health Policy Academy T2 - Preventing Chronic Disease JO - Prev Chronic Dis SP - E82 VL - 11 CY - Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia 30333, USA. N2 - There is growing recognition that health goals are more likely to be achieved and sustained if programs are complemented by appropriate changes in the policies, systems, and environments that shape their communities. However, the knowledge, skills, and abilities needed to create and implement policy are among the major needs identified by practitioners at both the state and local levels. This article describes the structure and content of the Nebraska Health Policy Academy (the Academy), a 9-month program developed to meet the demand for this training. The Academy is a competency-based training program that aims to increase the capacity of Nebraska's state and local public health staff and their community partners to use public health policy and law as a public health tool. Our initiative allows for participation across a large, sparsely populated state; is grounded in adult learning theory; introduces the key principles and practices of policy, systems, and environmental change; and is offered free of charge to the state's public health workforce. Challenges and lessons learned when offering workforce development on public health policy efforts are discussed. SN - 1545-1151 UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.5888/pcd11.140108 DO - 10.5888/pcd11.140108 ER -