|
January-March 2005
Welcome to the
first edition of the Center Spotlight, a quarterly electronic
publication designed to let you know what's going on at the North
Carolina Center for Public Health Preparedness. As we complete
the first six months of our new grant period, our Training Web
Site continues to grow in popularity and we're hard at work to
assist several local and state public health agencies in identifying
their needs for training and develop training plans. Here at UNC,
Team Epi-Aid recently received a public service award for its
work with North Carolina state and local public health departments.
Read on to learn more, and don't forget to check out our latest
publications and mentions in news articles.
---Pia
MacDonald, NCCPHP Director
Surveillance
& Epidemiology
Team
Epi-Aid (SPH student volunteers to assist the state with outbreak
investigations)
Team Epi-Aid
received the 2005 Office of the Provost Award for its work in
responding to immediate health crises as they arise in the state
of North Carolina, specifically its aid to the victims of Hurricane
Isabel. This award is given to UNC-Chapel Hill units and student
organizations that have performed extraordinary public service
and/or enabled such service by others.
Kim Swanson
was selected as the winner of the 2005 Team Epi-Aid Award. This
award goes to the Team Epi-Aid member who has contributed the
most hours of service in the past year, and includes a paid trip
to the 54th Annual Scientific Epidemic Intelligence Service (EIS)
Conference in Atlanta, Georgia. Kim has assisted with the Cherokee
County Legionnella outbreak, the Hurricane Charley Rapid Needs
Assessment, and several other projects since the inception of
Team Epi-Aid.
Training
& Education
Training
Web Site
During
the first quarter of 2005, the NCCPHP
Training Web Site saw 949
new registered users and 1345 new completed trainings. NCCPHP
developed 33 new Web-based distance learning modules in 2004,
and 5 more new modules to date in 2005:
We also
posted 3 new resources for trainers: "Detectives
in the Classroom" (online modules in basic epidemiology)
and 2
community awareness and response resources in Spanish developed
by the North Carolina Community College System.
FOCUS
on Field Epidemiology periodical
NCCPHP released
3 new issues of FOCUS:
Online
Certificate in Field Epidemiology
We presented
information about the program to the CDC Office of Workforce and
Career Development and the executive director of the Council of
State and Territorial Epidemiologists.
New
Graduate-Level Epidemiology Course
NCCPHP launched
the pilot of the online course: Field Epidemiology Methods in
January.
Introduction
to Communicable Disease Surveillance and Investigation training
course
The spring 2005
training began on February 1 with 58 communicable disease nurses
from local health departments across North Carolina.
A total of 58
nurses completed the fall 2004 pilot course. We summarized data
from student pre-tests/post-tests and evaluations, and course
instructors met to debrief and make improvements to the pilot
course. The class was well received by participants, and feedback
was overwhelmingly positive; one nurse even commented, "This
should be a requirement for all communicable disease staff."
Lifelong
Learning
NCCPHP staff
began providing assistance to North Carolina counties in workforce
development and lifelong learning activities based on data from
the workforce assessment completed in October 2004. Assistance
with lifelong learning and training plan development provided
to 10 North Carolina counties: Alamance, Buncombe, Cabarrus, Carteret,
Chatham, Cherokee, Gaston, New Hanover/Coastal AHEC, Northampton,
and Wilkes. Future visits are scheduled to Catawba and Hertford
counties.
We also supplied
information about our training resources to PHRST 6 and Greensboro
AHEC, and provided technical assistance with use of the online
Public Health Workforce Development System to users in Buncombe,
Cabarrus, Carteret, Chatham, Northampton, Onslow, Orange, and
Wilkes Counties.
Work
with Partner States
NCCPHP is participating
in Pilot Year II 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).
Tennessee
We assisted
"Lentz University" at the Nashville/Davidson County
Metropolitan Health Department with Public Health Ready Certification
requirements: distributed and collected assessment (N=500), completed
data analysis, developed assessment report and training plan,
and submitted report and plan to the health department.
Virginia
We are presenting
5-part videoconference training series, E is for Epi: Epidemiology
Basics for Non-Epidemiologists via PHIN videoconference network
in Danville and 22 satellite sites in health districts statewide.
Presented 3 2-hour sessions to date: "Epidemiology in the
Context of Public Health" on January 12, "An Epidemiologist's
Tool Kit" on February 3, and "Descriptive and Analytic
Epidemiology" on March 3.
West
Virginia
We completed
the Statewide Public Health Preparedness Training Plan for the
West Virginia Bureau for Public Health and distributed it to the
state preparedness director for review, input, and further distribution
to key stakeholders.
Other
States
California:
NCCPHP provided assistance to an epidemiologist in Riverside County
seeking materials to use in developing training for epidemiologists
in Mono and Inyo counties.
Colorado:
We corresponded with the Department of Public Health and Environment
regarding competency-matched training database and supplied data
as per their request.
Florida:
We sent links to the Training Web Site and the Public Health Workforce
Development System to local health directors in 5 counties.
Kansas:
We are providing field epidemiology training for 10 state-level
epidemiologists.
Texas:
We completed an assessment for Public Health Ready Certification
and delivered the names of individuals from Texas already using
the Public Health Workforce Development System.
Work
with CPHP Network Partners
To share resources
and expertise with other Centers for Public Health Preparedness,
NCCPHP staff are participating in the following CPHP exemplar
and collaborative groups:
- Principal
Investigators / Coordinators
- Distance
Learning Preparedness Education
- GIS for Preparedness
and Response
- Graduate
Student Epidemiology Response Programs
- Field Epidemiology
for Surge/Outbreak Response
- Infectious
Disease / Bioterrrorism Preparedness
- Local Health
Department Tools
- Media/Journalist
Preparedness Education
- Nurse Preparedness
Education
- Preparedness
and Crisis Leadership Education
- Preparedness
Education Evaluation Methods
- Public Health
Preparedness Exercises and Drills
- Public Health
Preparedness Certification
- Public Health
Law and Legal Preparedness
|
|
|
Have
you seen us?
Articles
Published
MacDonald
PM, Whitwam RE, Boggs JD, et al. Outbreak
of Listeriosis among Mexican Immigrants as a Result of Consumption
of Illicitly Produced Mexican-Style Cheese. Clinical Infectious
Diseases. 2005;40:677-682.
Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention. Transmission
of Hepatitis B Virus Among Persons Undergoing Blood Glucose Monitoring
in Long-Term-Care Facilities - Mississippi, North Carolina, and
Los Angeles County, California, 2003-2004. MMWR. March 11,
2005;54:220-223. [Team Epi-Aid student Ann Chelminski named
as author, Pia MacDonald named in acknowledgements.]
Poster
Accepted
"Determining
User Satisfaction with Online Public Health Preparedness Training"
accepted for poster presentation at AcademyHealth Annual Research
Meeting 2005
NCCPHP
in the News
Online
Certificate in Field Epidemiology Available in Fall 2005.
North Carolina's PHRST Line Report. Office of Public Health
Preparedness and Response quarterly newsletter. 2005; 3(1), 7.
Team
Epi-Aid at work. Impact: a quarterly newsletter.
The North Carolina Institute for Public Health. February 2005.
Online
class trains NC health workers in communicable disease response.
Impact: a quarterly newsletter. The North Carolina Institute
for Public Health. February 2005.
Service
W and Smith M. Legionellosis
Outbreak in Cherokee County, North Carolina. Epi Notes.
North Carolina Division of Public Health, Epidemiology Section
quarterly newsletter. December 2004-February 2005; page 2. [Team
Epi-Aid assisted with investigation.]
Goode
B. Outbreak
of E.coli 0157:H7 at the North Carolina State Fair-2004. Epi
Notes. (North Carolina Division of Public Health, Epidemiology
Section quarterly newsletter). December 2004-February 2005; page
3. [Team Epi-Aid assisted with investigation.]
|
|
