Turning Point: Collaborating for a New Century in Public Health, a national program of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) and the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, defined its mission as to "transform and strengthen the public health system in the United States to make the system more effective, more community-based and more collaborative."

RWJF and the W.K. Kellogg Foundation partnered to support 22 states and 41 local communities in those states in working together to strengthen their public health systems. RWJF also supported five National Excellence Collaboratives that allowed states to work together on important public health infrastructure challenges.

Key Results
According to national program office staff, evaluators from the Public Health Institute, RWJF program officers and the W.K. Kellogg Foundation program director:

• Turning Point strengthened the public health infrastructure through state/local partnerships that engaged stakeholders that had not previously been involved with public health activities (e.g., businesses, educators, faith communities and community organizations).
• Turning Point contributed to the national movement toward accreditation for state and local health departments.
• Turning Point contributed to the expansion and growth of statewide public health institutes.

Key Findings
Evaluators from the Public Health Institute reported the following key findings from the outcomes evaluation of Turning Point to RWJF:

• Improved relationships between state and local public health entities have contributed to better use of public health funds, enhanced coordination of emergency response systems and, to a limited extent, improved local input into priority-setting for state health issues.
• Infrastructure changes in the Turning Point states have made it easier to recruit public health workers, helped retain the workforce and facilitated the development of leaders.
• Despite many political and funding changes over time, most of the Turning Point states were able to sustain the public health system changes they made during the program.

Program Management
The RWJF national program office was located at the School of Public Health and Community Medicine at the University of Washington in Seattle. Bobbie Berkowitz, Ph.D., R.N., F.A.A.N., was the director.

Funding
RWJF's Board of Trustees authorized Turning Point in January 1996. RWJF provided $33 million and the W.K. Kellogg Foundation provided $17 million for the program from 1996 to 2006.