The organizational structure of a public health agency can directly affect the success or failure of its programs. Currently within public health, quality improvement initiatives are being undertaken in order to improve the provision of services and response to the needs of the public. As a part of the identification of areas for improvement, the assessment of the organizational structure of the public health entity needs to become an integral part of that process. The current needs and challenges that public health entities confront are expanding and changing. The services, projects, and programs that local health departments are responsible for are varied and broad. Those entities need an organizational structure that allows for an efficient and effective response to those broad needs. The Incident Command System (ICS) is an organizational structure that will facilitate the most effective and efficient response to everyday needs or issues that arise from a sudden disaster. The ICS is currently utilized mainly in response to disasters. The features detailed in this paper, along with case studies of ICS use, will support the proposal that the ICS is an effective organizational structure for every day management of a public health entity. The foundations and boundaries that the ICS establishes allows all types of organizations—hospitals, veterinary clinics, local health departments (LHD), etc.—to tailor the structure to meet the specific needs and mission of the organization. It allows for response to the broad range of needs that public health entities see daily. When a disaster does occur, the structure is already in place to respond and valuable time and resources are not lost in the transition. Personnel education and training about the ICS is vital. To ensure effective management and operation within the structure, as well as support from involved personnel, education is incredibly important. Quality improvement initiatives have allowed for LHDs to improve 2 services and organizational function. The use of an ICS structure will complement and greatly facilitate CQI initiatives.Master of Public Healt
