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April-June 2005
This spring,
we worked toward completing activities outlined in our first grant
year, and began developing and implementing projects for future
years.
The Center
assisted the Metropolitan Health Department of Nashville-Davidson
County, Tennessee, as they prepared their application for Project
Public Health Ready Certification, completing an assessment and
training plan, and began offering trainings to meet identified
needs. In Virginia, a 5-part videoconference training series,
"E is for Epidemiology" was concluded in May, and a
new 7-part series, "I is for Investigation" began in
June. The statewide training plan developed in partnership with
the West Virginia Office of Threat Preparedness was presented
to local and regional training directors at a meeting in Charleston,
WV. In North Carolina, the Center's workforce development staff
continue to use data provided by the Public Health Workforce Development
System to help public health agencies implement lifelong learning
strategies that best target the priority training needs of their
employees.
This fall, the
first cohort of 70 students will begin the Online Certificate
in Field Epidemiology, a joint project of the Center, the Institute
for Public Health, and the Department of Epidemiology. In addition,
we plan to unveil a new seminar series in Public Health Preparedness
this academic year, where public health students, faculty, and
professionals will be invited to hear lectures from experts on
various preparedness topics. We are also planning several new
training courses, including Public Health Emergency Law, based
on a CDC manual developed for state-level adaptation.
---Pia
MacDonald, NCCPHP Director
Surveillance
& Epidemiology
Team
Epi-Aid (SPH student volunteers to assist the state with outbreak
investigations)
This summer,
Team Epi-Aid is assisting the North Carolina Division of Public
Health with a study of the health effects of recreational water
exposure to be conducted at Falls Lake Recreation Area.
Other Team Epi-Aid
activities this quarter include assistance with an outbreak of
salmonella to Mitchell County, technical assistance with
communicable disease data analysis to Randolph County, and student
training on Epi Info software and hypothesis generation.
Training
& Education
Training
Web Site
In the second
quarter of 2005, the NCCPHP Training Web Site had 1115 new registered
users and 2312 new completed trainings. So far this year, NCCPHP
has developed 13 new Web-based distance learning modules that
allow users to receive free continuing education units.
FOCUS
on Field Epidemiology periodical
Two new issues
of FOCUS were published this quarter:
- Volume 2,
Issue 3: Developing a Questionnaire
- Volume 2,
Issue 4: Selecting a Study Design
NCCPHP also
conducted a survey of FOCUS users to improve our product and better
understand the ways in which people use the periodical.
Online
Certificate in Field Epidemiology
The application
deadline for fall admission to the Online Certificate in Field
Epidemiology was June 30; more than 90 applications were received
from public health professionals in 13 states, Puerto Rico, and
Canada. A cohort of 70 students will begin the Certificate this
fall.
Introduction
to Communicable Disease Surveillance and Investigation training
course
A total of 29
communicable disease nurses completed the spring 2005 course.
To date, 87 nurses from local health departments across North
Carolina have completed this training course.
North
Carolina Epi Teams Conference
Nearly 350 public
health workers from across the state attended the North Carolina
Epi Teams Conference held June 8-9 in Research Triangle Park,
NC. NCCPHP staff sat on the planning committee for the Conference,
presented information on distance learning opportunities, and
exhibited the FOCUS on Field Epidemiology periodical.
Epi Info Software Training
NCCPHP conducted
training sessions on the Epi Info Software program to nearly 40
public health workers in 5 local health departments this quarter.
Lifelong
Learning
NCCPHP staff
continued their assistance in lifelong learning and workforce
development. Agency-wide training plans have been completed for
Buncombe County, Cabarrus Health Alliance, Carteret County, Catawba
County, Northampton County, and Wilkes County.
Other notable
accomplishments include the following:
- Gaston
County: created separate training plans for each of the
health department's 4 administrative divisions, and assisted
with opening a new "Learning Resource Center" that
will provide staff with the infrastructure necessary to complete
online trainings at work.
- Chatham
County: presented 8 trainings on identified staff training
needs, and installed newly-acquired H.323 technology purchased
through Academic Health Department grant funds.
- New Hanover:
presented 3 trainings based on identified staff training needs.
Our Public Health
Workforce Development System has a new look! The web site, available
at www.PublicHealthPreparedness.org,
has been redesigned to be more inviting to new users and provide
more user assistance before they even log in.
NCCPHP also
added 30 new trainings to the System's training catalog and provided
technical assistance to users in Alamance, Buncombe, Chatham,
Forsyth, Hertford, and Northampton counties.
Work
with Partner States
This quarter,
we have worked with 11 states (Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Kansas,
New Jersey, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas,
Virginia, and West Virginia) on projects that include development
of statewide training plans, assistance with training, and technical
assistance in our areas of expertise.
NCCPHP facilitated
the second annual State Public Health Preparedness Partners' Annual
Workshop on April 7 with 30 attendees from Georgia, North Carolina,
South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia. Attendees
participated in preparedness training from Center staff and guest
experts, worked together on an exercise, and had the opportunity
to network with colleagues from other states.
NCCPHP assisted
two local health departments-Nashville-Davidson County, Tennessee
and San Antonio, Texas-complete their requirements for Project
Public Health Ready (a collaboration between NACCHO and the CDC
to prepare the staff of local governmental public health agencies
to respond to emergencies and protect the public's health via
a competency-based training and recognition program).
We completed
the "E is for Epi: Epidemiology Basics for Non-Epidemiologists"
training series presented via PHIN videoconference network to
22 satellite sites across Virginia, presenting Session IV: Surveillance
on April 7 and Session V: Epidemiology Specialties Applied on
May 5. We began the next training series, "Outbreak Investigation
Methods: From Mystery to Mastery," with Session I: Recognizing
an Outbreak on June 2.
Just
last month, NCCPHP sent information about our training products
and technical assistance to contacts at every local health department
in Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia. This mailing included
information on our Lifelong Learning Initiatives, Training Web
Site, FOCUS on Field Epidemiology periodical, and Online Certificate
in Field Epidemiology, as well as a poster to remind employees
about the Training Web Site.
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Have you seen us?
Articles
Published
Frieden TR,
Mostashari F, Kerker BD, Miller N, Hajat A, and Frankel
M. Adult
Tobacco Use Levels After Intensive Tobacco Control Measures: New
York City, 2002-2003. Am J Public Health. 2005. 95(6):1016-1023.
Harrison
LM, Davis MV, MacDonald PDM, Alexander LK,
Cline JS, Alexander JG, Rothney EE, Rybka TP, Stevens
RH. "Development
and Implementation of Public Health Workforce Training Needs Assessment
Survey in North Carolina." Public Health Rep.
2005. 120(Supplement 1): 28-34.
MacDonald
PDM. "Team
Epi-Aid: Graduate Student Assistance with Urgent Public Health
Response." Public Health Rep. 2005. 120(Supplement
1): 35-41.
Hightow LB,
MacDonald PDM, Pilcher CD, Kaplan AH, Foust E, Nguyen TQ,
Leone PA. "The
Unexpected Movement of the HIV Epidemic in the Southeastern United
States: Transmission Among College Students." J Acquir
Immune Defic Syndr. 2005. 38(5): 531-537.
Presentations
Exhibit of NCCPHP
resources. Eastern District Meeting of the North Carolina Public
Health Association, New Bern, NC. May 11-12, 2005
Exhibit of NCCPHP
resources. Western District Meeting of the North Carolina Public
Health Association, Boone, NC. May 18-19, 2005
Horney J,
Alexander LK, MacDonald PDM. "Determining User
Satisfaction with Online Public Health Preparedness Training."
Poster presented at AcademyHealth Annual Research Meeting. June
25, 2005.
NCCPHP
in the News
"NCCPHP
recognized for Public Service Award." Carolina
School of Public Health e-NEWS: Alumni Update. July 2005,
2(1):5.
Jennifer
Horney quoted in: Kitto K. "Burr formulating bill to
coordinate national emergency response." Durham Herald-Sun.
May 14, 2005.
Team
Epi-Aid receives Office of the Provost Award-photo with caption.
Impact: a quarterly newsletter. The North Carolina Institute
for Public Health. May 2005.
"New
Lifelong Learning Initiative takes shape in NC health departments."
Impact: a quarterly newsletter. The North Carolina Institute
for Public Health. May 2005.
"NCCPHP
hosted workshop for state partners." Impact: a
quarterly newsletter. The North Carolina Institute for Public
Health. May 2005.
"Leadership
and preparedness training underway in partner West Virginia."
Impact: a quarterly newsletter. The North Carolina Institute
for Public Health. May 2005.
"Online
Certificate in Field Epidemiology Available in Fall 2005."
Epi Notes. (North Carolina Division of Public Health, Epidemiology
Section quarterly newsletter). March-May 2005; page 11.
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