Although planning is generally described as a linear process, program planning is a cyclical activity, with recursive events requiring additional or revised courses of action for the life of a health program. Advances in defining planning in health care parallel advances in models for use by practitioners. Beginning in the mid-1980s, the CDC began to develop and promote methodologies for systematic approaches to health planning for those working in public health. These models are important for their structured approach to planning health programs and for synthesizing the knowledge available at the time about health and program planning. Internet resources related to Mobilizing for Action through Planning and Partnership (MAPP) and Protocol for Assessing Community Excellence in Environmental Health (PACE-EH)
Application of the MAPP process at a county level is possible and can result in a user-friendly, public document outlining a long-term health improvement plan at both the city and county levels. Since its release, MAPP has been established as a standard approach to planning and is widely used by local health departments (NACCHO, 2011).