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Janurary-March 2006
In the first
quarter of 2006, NCCPHP has expanded its partnerships and training
audience across the nation and the world. We received a grant
to develop Avian Influenza train-the-trainer curriculum materials
for rapid response teams in Southeast Asia, and applied for funding
to partner with a Guatemalan university to provide training in
field epidemiology for epidemiologists in Central America. We
helped organize the National Association of County and City Health
Officials (NACCHO) Advanced Practice Centers Conference and hosted
the CDC's regional Epidemic Intelligence Service conference here
at UNC.
In addition,
Team Epi-Aid students and NCCPHP staff joined with North Carolinas
Public Health Regional Surveillance Team 5 (PHRST 5) to spend
spring break lending a hand to Mississippi's recovery from Hurricane
Katrina. For more details, see the State Partners section. We
are thankful to the UNC Carolina Center for Public Service who
awarded Team Epi-Aid with a $1000 Gulf Coast Relief Grant to support
the trip.
---Pia
MacDonald, NCCPHP Director
Surveillance
& Epidemiology
NCCPHP hosted
the Epidemic Intelligence Service (EIS) regional conference at
UNC on March 30-31, with 15 presentations from regional EIS officers
on surveillance, nosocomial infections, vaccine-preventable diseases,
and infectious diseases.
Team
Epi-Aid (SPH student volunteers to assist urgent public health
response)
This quarter,
Team Epi-Aid assisted with developing educational materials for
an outbreak of hepaitis A in Alamance County and completed creating
Epi Info screens and data entry for a statewide Cryptosporidium
surveillance form. Students also attended training sessions on
Epi Info and incident command.
Forty Team Epi-Aid
student volunteers and 5 faculty and staff from UNC traveled to
Biloxi during spring break to help conduct an after action report
community assessment of existing hurricane damage and assist with
cleanup efforts in Jackson and Hancock counties. For more details,
see the State Partners section.
Technical
Assistance to North Carolina
NCCPHP staff
developed an Epi Info program for the NC General Communicable
Disease Branch that will generate county-specific reportable disease
reports at the touch of a button, based on data reported to the
state. This program will allow county and regional health officials
to see disease trends in their counties without having to wait
for summary data from the state.
NCCPHP is coordinating
the Year 2 "Project 516" Mobile GIS Grant in partnership
with PHRST 5. Staff reviewed applications from counties needing
assistance with a mobile GIS project, selected grant recipients,
and began scheduling training sessions for grantees.
NCCPHP conducted
Epi Info trainings for public health staff in Yadkin County, PHRST
5, and Fort Bragg in February and March.
NACCHO
Foodborne Illness Systems Demonstration Project
NCCPHP published
a newsletter with survey results of foodborne disease reporting
practices for healthcare practitioners, infection control practitioners,
and laboratory personnel in North Carolina, and created 3 foodborne
disease reporting training modules to address specific needs of
each audience. Staff attended a site visit with NACCHO and PHRST
6 in Asheville to share these products.
Avian
Influenza Rapid Response Teams in Southeast Asia
NCCPHP received
a grant to coordinate the "Curriculum Development for Avian
Influenza Rapid Response Teams in Southeast Asia" project
with the CDC's Thailand International Emerging Infections Program.
NCCPHP staff will travel to Thailand this summer to present training
on avian influenza and rapid response to public health workers
from various nations in Southeast Asia.
Training
& Education
NCCPHP staff
provided training to fellow members of the North Carolina Institute
for Public Health, presenting an "Introduction to Epidemiology"
for the NCIPH Public Health 101 lunch-and-learn series, and also
providing a training on developing online surveys using SurveyMonkey.
Training
Web Site
In the first
quarter of 2006, the NCCPHP Training Web Site had 3,154 newly
completed trainings and 1,902 new registered users, for a total
of 10,248 users. Thus far in 2006, NCCPHP has developed 6 new
Web-based distance learning modules that allow users to receive
free continuing education units.
We added a new
training package around pandemic and avian influenza, and are
working with PHRST 5, the NC Medical Reserve Corps, NC Disaster
Response Network, and the NC Office of Disability and Health to
develop trainings to meet their specific needs.
Preparedness
Training Series
New for 2006,
NCCPHP launched the 2006 Preparedness Training Series, with each
month highlighting a preparedness-related event and related featured
training. Enrollment in the series reached 450 by the end of March.
Public
Health Emergency Law
NCCPHP presented
the CDC foundational course, Public Health Emergency Law, for
104 North Carolina public health and law enforcement personnel
on March 8. Now staff are preparing for 3 courses to be offered
in Tennessee during May. We have also shared our course materials
with the Alabama CPHP and Illinois attorneys.
Advanced
Practice Centers Training Conference
NCCPHP staff
coordinated the annual NACCHO Advanced Practice Centers (APC)
Training Conference held in Washington, DC, on February 21-22.
Now efforts are underway to compile a Trainer's Guide and CD-ROM
of materials from the various APCs, and present a brief overview
of the presentations in April via 3 "webinars" combining
webcast and conference call technology.
Symposium
Series for Public Health Preparedness
The following
presentation was offered this quarter:
"Community
Health and Needs Assessments: Principles, Practice, and the Hurricane
Wilma Experience, Florida, 2005" with Stacy Young, epidemiologist
at CDC, and "Enhancing Epidemiological Investigations Using
Mobile GIS" with Steve Ramsey, team leader for NC PHRST-5
Online
Certificate in Field Epidemiology
NCCPHP is now
accepting applications for our fall 2006 cohort of students. Sixty
students are currently participating, and will complete the certificate
in December 2006.
Introduction
to Communicable Disease Surveillance and Investigation training
course
In partnership
with the General Communicable Disease Control Branch at the NC
Division of Public Health, we provided technical support for the
15-week Introduction to Communicable Disease Surveillance and
Investigation training course. There were 36 public health staff
from 26 counties who participated in the Spring 2006 course.
Lifelong
Learning
The Workforce
Development portion of NCCPHP web site has been updated, featuring
new lifelong learning resources, as well as information on the
Lifelong Learning Conference.
NCCPHP staff
have worked with the following North Carolina counties on various
issues related to lifelong learning and the online workforce development
system (WDS):
- Camp Lejuene
Naval Hospital - training opportunities, participation on boards
and teams in North Carolina
- PHRST 3 -
NCCPHP lifelong learning resources to preparedness coordinators
and hospital partners
- Alamance
County - conducted preparedness training needs focus groups;
met about training plan; sent updated WDS assessment report
- Buncombe
County - sent information on NCCPHP training needs assessment,
trainings, and Lifelong Learning Conference to new preparedness
coordinator
- Cabarrus
Health Alliance - conducted avian flu training session on March
10 (N=65);
matched NCCPHP trainings to the 10 Essential Services upon their
request
- Caswell County
- met about lifelong learning and potential opportunities for
staff training
- Catawba County
- discussed "Focus Day" on lifelong learning and staff
development scheduled for March (N=12) and NCCPHP trainings
and resources; completed training table to help employees determine
trainings they wish to take
- Forsyth County
- sent updated WDS assessment report
- Gaston County
- combined content from all division heads into a single training
plan to use for accreditation
- Jackson County
- created customized training plan
- Northampton
County - conducted training session on HIPAA and public health
law on March 6 (N=60)
- Orange County
- contacted about family preparedness plans for staff
- Wilkes County
- assisted management team with training plan and WDS questions
NCCPHP staff
also responded
to WDS data requests from Pitt, Catawba, and Onslow counties,
provided user passwords for Halifax, Craven, Northampton counties,
and provided technical assistance with WDS to individuals in Catawba,
Northampton, Onslow, Robeson, and Yancey counties, and South Carolina
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 have facilitated Advisory Committee
and Core Group meetings, prepared regional assessment instruments
available to all PHRST 1 counties, and presented workshops with
all local health departments.
Work
with Partner States
This quarter,
NCCPHP has been preparing for our third annual State Partners
Meeting scheduled for June 9, 2006, and facilitated the February
conference call: "Lessons Learned from the City of Milwaukee
Health Department Implementation of ICS during Mokeypox and Pertussis
Outbreaks."
Assistance to
partner states includes the following activities:
- Colorado:
NCCPHP staff
presented training to 25 local and regional emergency preparedness
planners in the Department of Public Health and Environment.
- Mississippi:
NCCPHP assisted
the NC Office of Public Health Preparedness & Response (PHP&R)
with Mississippi Department of Health After Action Report. NCCPHP
staff distributed our NC hurricane evaluation report to the
Mississippi Department of Health, and collected data with the
NC Office of Emergency Medical Services and PHP&R on February
13-18 in Jackson and Gulfport, MS, for a total of 100 completed
interviews and 490 online survey responses.
In addition,
this activity included coordinating a UNC Special Studies class
trip to provide support services and conduct a 6-month-post-hurricane
community health assessment targeting elderly and disabled populations.
NCCPHP staff supervised 45 students on March 13-15 to provide
service at free clinic, conduct the after action study survey,
and clean up property. To complete this activity, staff worked
closely with NC PHRST 5 on planning, training in interviewing
techniques, supervising review of interview data, and data analysis.
Upon return to UNC, NCCPHP staff coordinated a de-briefing for
participants with UNC Counseling Services.
As a follow-up
to this effort, NCCPHP staff also spoke with the Mississippi
Department of Health about continued involvement of UNC SPH
in relief and recovery efforts on the gulf coast and initiated
planning for a gulf coast advocacy group with the UNC Public
Health Leadership Program and the University of Michigan.
- West
Virginia:
NCCPHP staff
are working with the Public Health Preparedness Training Plan
Implementation team to establish training levels and identify
appropriate courses for each levels. Courses have been selected
to meet priority training needs, which will assist trainees
in adopting and implementing training content. In addition,
the team has selected initial measures to monitor the progress
of strategic training plan, and is working to pilot the training
process in 6 eastern West Virginia counties over the next few
months.
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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.
Presentations
Exhibit of NCCPHP
materials. NACCHO Local, State, and Federal Public Health Preparedness
Summit, Washington, DC. February 22-24, 2006.
Exhibit of NCCPHP
materials. 27th Annual Minority Health Conference, Chapel Hill,
NC. February 24, 2006.
"Using
the Capture-Recapture Methodology to Assess the Sensitivity of
Foodborne Disease Surveillance." Presented at the International
Conference of Emerging Infectious Diseases, Atlanta, Ga. March
19-22, 2006.
NCCPHP
in the News
"Get
your own copy of the new 'E is for Epi' training resource!"
APHA Epidemiology Section Newsletter, Winter 2006.
"Lesneski
receives WCHL 1360 Village Pride Award." Featured news
on SPH Web site: http://www.sph.unc.edu/.
February 7, 2006.
"New
preparedness
training series offered in 2006." Impact: a quarterly
newsletter. The North Carolina Institute for Public Health.
March 2006.
"Save
the Date for Lifelong Learning!" Impact: a
quarterly newsletter. The North Carolina Institute for Public
Health. March 2006.
"Team
Epi-Aid vs. Wilma." Impact: a quarterly newsletter.
The North Carolina Institute for Public Health. March 2006.
Television interview
featuring Jennifer Horney and Anjum Hajat regarding
pandemic influenza and public health preparedness. NBC 17 News.
March 24, 2006.
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