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October-December 2005
In December,
it is common to reflect back on the year and review things that
have gone well and others that need more nourishment. We have
had a busy quarter to close out the year. The highlights include
offering the first-ever presentation of the CDC's Public Health
Emergency Law Course in West Virginia (more
details) and assisting with Florida's response to Hurricane
Wilma through our Team Epi-Aid program (more
details). We are proud of all of our 2005 activities and have
made them available though past Spotlights.
Best
wishes for the new year,
---Pia
MacDonald, NCCPHP Director
Surveillance
& Epidemiology
Team
Epi-Aid (SPH student volunteers to assist urgent public health
response)
Team Epi-Aid
responded to a request for assistance from the Florida Department
of Health through NC Division of Public Health, Office of Public
Health Preparedness and Response. Four volunteers traveled to
south Florida on October 30-November 3 to assist with Hurricane
Wilma rapid needs assessment in Broward and Hendry counties. The
UNC School of Public Health featured this trip on their web site
for several weeks (read
the article). In addition, 16 Team Epi-Aid students attended
an Epi Info training on November 12.
Technical
Assistance to North Carolina
This quarter,
NCCPHP assisted Henderson County with creating a monthly communicable
disease report and helped Bladen County with Epi Info software
problems. NCCPHP is coordinating rapid needs assessment training
with Public Health Regional Surveillance Team 5 and is developing
a partnership with the Certificate in Disaster Management on a
statewide response team.
Training
& Education
Training
Web Site
In the final
quarter of 2005, the NCCPHP Training Web Site had 1545 new registered
users and 3151 new completed trainings. in 2005, NCCPHP developed
29 new Web-based distance learning modules that allow users to
receive free continuing education units.
FOCUS
on Field Epidemiology periodical
A new issue
of FOCUS was published this quarter:
- Volume 2,
Issue 6: Forensic Epidemiology Investigations
NEW!
Symposium Series for Public Health Preparedness
NCCPHP created
a new training opportunity this fall to allow public health professionals
and students to meet with experts and discuss today's issues in
public health preparedness. The sessions were presented live in
the Michael Hooker Research Building at UNC and broadcast to public
health departments across North Carolina via videoconference.
The following
presentations were offered this quarter:
- "Strategic
National Stockpile" with Lt. Alysson Brown, CDC (also available
via webcast)
- "Public
Health Informatics" with Dr. Herman Tolentino, CDC Public
Health Informatics Fellow
- "Federal
Public Health Responsibilities for Terrorism Preparedness"
with Dr. Dan Sosin, CDC Senior Advisor for Science and Public
Health Practice
Videoconference
Training
NCCPHP staff
broadcast the following videoconference trainings this quarter:
- "Interviewing
Techniques" via Virginia Public Health Information Network
(PHIN)
- "Data
Analysis" via Virginia PHIN
- "Reading
and Writing outbreak Investigation Reports" via Virginia
PHIN
Online
Certificate in Field Epidemiology
A total of 61
students completed "Introduction to Epidemiology" and
62 students are enrolled in the "Field Epidemiology Methods"
course for spring 2006. In addition, 11 students from the Public
Health Leadership Program are also enrolled in "Field Epidemiology
Methods."
Introduction
to Communicable Disease Surveillance and Investigation training
course
A total of 24
communicable disease nurses completed the fall 2005 course. Since
fall 2004, 111 nurses from local health departments across North
Carolina have completed this training course.
Disaster Training at Fort Bragg
NCCPHP staff
developed and presented one-hour training on public health impacts
of disasters and rapid needs assessment with the director of the
UNC Certificate in Disaster Management. This training was presented
to 40 community health staff at Fort Bragg's Womack Army Medical
Center.
Lifelong
Learning
Public health
employees across the state received Save-the-Date cards for the
Lifelong Learning Conference scheduled for April 27, 2006. Final
preparations for the conference are being made.
NCCPHP staff
are working with the senior assistant to the state health director
on health disparities and workforce development and the section
chief for Vital Records to discuss training needs for state public
health workers. NCCPHP is also working with the Division of Public
Health regarding the new system for state employee banding and
tying competencies to public health job descriptions.
This quarter,
NCCPHP staff also worked with the Forsyth County Board of Health
and health department employees to address the low participation
rate in the 2004 workforce assessment. By December 2005, the participation
rate had increased to 74% and new data were being summarized.
NCCPHP staff
continued their assistance in lifelong learning and workforce
development. This quarter, agency-wide training plans were completed
for Catawba, Carteret, New Hanover, Northampton, and Wilkes counties.
NCCPHP also worked with all 16 lifelong learning counties to implement
the training plans, and presented a lifelong learning training
session at Cabarrus Health Alliance.
NCCPHP provided
technical assistance to users in Haywood, Onslow, and Robeson
counties in North Carolina, and provided additional information
about WDS and reporting options to Dartmouth University.
Project
Public Health Ready
NCCPHP is assisting
25 northeastern North Carolina Project Public Health Ready counties
in meeting project objectives and accomplishing goals by the August
2006 deadline. NCCPHP staff will be working with "workforce
competency" including developing an assessment and training
plan.
Work
with Partner States
This quarter,
NCCPHP worked with 7 states (Alabama, Arizona, Colorado, North
Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, West Virginia), offering technical
expertise and training assistance.
Planning is
ongoing for our Center's third annual State Public Health Preparedness
Partners' Annual Workshop to be held April 26, 2006.
We are working
with Tennessee and West Virginia to implement statewide public
health preparedness training plans developed by NCCPHP for each
of these states.
NCCPHP staff
delivered the first-ever implementation of the CDC's Public Health
Emergency Law training course to 160 attendees in Charleston and
Morgantown, WV. Attendees also included observers from the CDC,
NIOSH, and McKing Consulting. Similar courses are being planned
for Nebraska, North Carolina, and Tennessee, and NCCPHP is offering
assistance to other states wanting to implement the course.
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Have you seen us?
Publications
Horney J,
MacDonald PDM, Rothney E, Alexander L. User
Patterns and Satisfaction with Online Trainings Completed on the
North Carolina Center for Public Health Preparedness Training
Web Site. J Public Health Manage Practice. 2005. 11(Supplement
1):S90-94.
Alexander
L, et. al. A Pilot Hybrid Internet/Classroom Based Communicable
Disease Continuing Education Course for Public Health Nurses in
North Carolina: Lessons Learned. J Public Health Manage Practice.
2005. 11(Supplement 1):S119-122.
Horney J,
Solliceto B, Alexander L. Competency-based
Preparedness Training for Public Health Practitioners. J
Public Health Manage Practice. 2005. 11(Supplement 1): S147-149.
Presentations
"Improving
Preparedness through Training Supports and Infrastructure."
Presented at American Evaluation Association Conference. October
27, 2005.
"Building
training plans for the local public health workforce based on
assessed need in preparedness and core public health competencies."
APHA, 2005.
"Emergency
preparedness and response competencies: Data from North Carolina's
first comprehensive assessment of the local public health workforce."
APHA, 2005.
"Implementation
of an online assessment with public health workers: Strategies
for success." APHA, 2005.
"Online
training in public health preparedness: Who's using it and what
are they learning?" APHA, 2005.
"Development,
implementation and evaluation of an Internet-based public health
preparedness training site for public health professionals."
APHA, 2005.
"Knowledge
and practice of foodborne disease clinical specimen testing and
reporting in the healthcare community." APHA, 2005.
"Laboratory
testing for Escherichia coli O157/STEC in North Carolina."
APHA, 2005.
"Diagnosis
and reporting practices of foodborne disease among clinical laboratories
in North Carolina." APHA, 2005.
"Priority
training needs among public health nurses in North Carolina."
APHA, 2005.
"Ongoing
implementation of a hybrid Internet/classroom-based continuing
education communicable disease course for North Carolina public
health nurses." APHA, 2005.
"Evaluation
of the University of North Carolina's Team Epi-Aid program: Satisfaction
of the public health department partners and student participants."
APHA, 2005.
"Healthcare
practitioners' foodborne disease testing practices in western
North Carolina." APHA, 2005.
NCCPHP
in the News
Public Health
Emergency Law Course featured. Morning Edition: West Virginia
Public Radio. October 18, 2005.
Public Health
Emergency Law Course featured. WDTV Channel 5 Evening News.
October 19, 2005.
"Beyond
Textbooks and TV: Team Epi-Aid Learns Through Experience."
Featured news on SPH Web site: http://www.sph.unc.edu/.
November 21, 2005.
"NCCPHP
puts
CDC emergency law training into action." Impact: a
quarterly newsletter. The North Carolina Institute for Public
Health. November 2005.
"Hurricane
Katrina--Public health folks step up." Impact: a quarterly
newsletter. The North Carolina Institute for Public Health.
November 2005.
"E
is for Epi
debuts." Impact: a quarterly newsletter. The North
Carolina Institute for Public Health. November 2005.
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