The SPA 4 Best Practice Collection fulfills the DHS local level goal to restructure and improve health services by “establishing and effectively disseminating to all concerned stakeholders comprehensive data and information on the health status, health risks, and health care utilization of Angelenos and definable subpopulations.” It is a program activity of the SPA 4 Information Dissemination Initiative created with the following goals in mind:

• To highlight lessons learned regarding the design, implementation, management and evaluation of public health programs.
• To serve as a brief theoretical and practical reference for program planners and managers, community leaders and government officials, community-based organizations and health care providers, and policy makers and funding agencies regarding health promotion and disease prevention and control.
• To share information and lessons learned in SPA 4 for community health planning purposes including adaptation and/or replication in other SPAs, counties or states.
• To advocate a holistic and multidimensional approach to address effectively needs and disparities in order to improve the health and well being of populations.

The SPA 4 Information Dissemination Initiative is an adaptation of the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS Best Practice Collection concept. Topics will normally include the following:

SPA 4 Viewpoint: An advocacy document aimed primarily at policy and decision makers that outlines challenges and problems and proposes options and solutions.

SPA 4 Profile: A technical overview of a topic that provides information and data needed by public, personal and private health care providers for program development, implementation and/or evaluation.

SPA 4 Case Study: A detailed real-life example of policies, strategies or projects that provide important lessons learned in restructuring health care delivery systems and/or improving the health and well being of populations.

SPA 4 Key Materials: A range of materials designed for educational or training purposes with up-to-date authoritative thinking and know-how on a topic or an example of a best practice.

SPA 4 Fact Sheets: A brief summary of epidemiological or socioeconomic details and information for health care consumers, providers or researchers.