scholarly journals Voluntary Separations and Workforce Planning: How Intent to Leave Public Health Agencies Manifests in Actual Departure in the United States

2020 ◽  
Vol 27 (1) ◽  
pp. 38-45
Author(s):  
Jonathon P. Leider ◽  
Katie Sellers ◽  
Kyle Bogaert ◽  
Rivka Liss-Levinson ◽  
Brian C. Castrucci
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
United States ◽  
Intent To Leave ◽  
Workforce Planning ◽  
The United States ◽  
Public Health Agencies ◽  
Health Agencies

scholarly journals International Perspectives on COVID-19 Communication Ecologies: Public Health Agencies’ Online Communication in Italy, Sweden, and the United States

2021 ◽  
pp. 000276422199283
Author(s):  
Serena Tagliacozzo ◽  
Frederike Albrecht ◽  
N. Emel Ganapati
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
United States ◽  
Social Groups ◽  
Online Communication ◽  
The United States ◽  
Negative Consequences ◽  
Public Health Agencies ◽  
Communication Ecology ◽  
Health Agencies ◽  
National Public Health

Communicating during a crisis can be challenging for public agencies as their communication ecology becomes increasingly complex while the need for fast and reliable public communication remains high. Using the lens of communication ecology, this study examines the online communication of national public health agencies during the COVID-19 pandemic in Italy, Sweden, and the United States. Based on content analysis of Twitter data ( n = 856) and agency press releases ( n = 95), this article investigates two main questions: (1) How, and to what extent, did national public health agencies coordinate their online communication with other agencies and organizations? (2) How was online communication from the agencies diversified in terms of targeting specific organizations and social groups? Our findings indicate that public health agencies relied heavily on internal scientific expertise and predominately coordinated their communication efforts with national government agencies. Furthermore, our analysis reveals that agencies in each country differed in how they diversify information; however, all agencies provided tailored information to at least some organizations and social groups. Across the three countries, information tailored for several vulnerable groups (e.g., pregnant women, people with disabilities, immigrants, and homeless populations) was largely absent, which may contribute to negative consequences for these groups.

Case Studies and Caveats

2019 ◽  
pp. 83-101
Author(s):  
Jonathan H. Marks
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
United States ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
The United States ◽  
Framing Effects ◽  
Noncommunicable Diseases ◽  
Systemic Effects ◽  
Public Health Agencies ◽  
Health Agencies ◽  
Food And Beverage

This chapter outlines several partnership case studies involving the food and beverage sector, especially soda companies. These case studies are drawn from the United States, Britain, and India. The analysis highlights certain problematic features—for example, use of corporate logos, trademarks, and color schemes that are likely to promote consumption of products that are exacerbating obesity and diet-related noncommunicable diseases (NCDs). But, more fundamentally, the analysis ties the case studies to the broader systemic effects discussed in the preceding chapters. These include framing effects, agenda distortion, and impacts on the integrity of and trust in public health agencies.

scholarly journals Inclusion of environmentally themed search terms improves Elastic Net regression nowcasts of regional Lyme disease rates

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eric Kontowicz ◽  
Grant Brown ◽  
Jim Torner ◽  
Margaret Carrel ◽  
Kelly Baker ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
United States ◽  
Lyme Disease ◽  
Disease Burden ◽  
The United States ◽  
Elastic Net ◽  
Disease Symptom ◽  
Public Health Agencies ◽  
Free Data ◽  
Health Agencies

AbstractLyme disease is the most widely reported vector-borne disease in the United States. 95% of human cases are reported in the Northeast and upper Midwest. Human cases typically occur in the spring and summer months when an infected nymph Ixodid tick takes a blood meal. Current federal surveillance strategies report data on an annual basis, leading to nearly a year lag in national data reporting. These lags in reporting make it difficult for public health agencies to assess and plan for the current burden of Lyme disease. Implementation of a nowcasting model, using historical data to predict current trends, provides a means for public health agencies to evaluate current Lyme disease burden and make timely priority-based budgeting decisions. The objective of this study was to develop and compare the performance of nowcasting models using free data from Google Trends and Centers of Disease Control and Prevention surveillance reports for Lyme Disease. We developed two sets of elastic net models for five regions of the United States first using monthly proportional hit data from 21 disease symptoms and tick related terms and second using monthly proportional hit data from all terms identified via Google correlate plus 21 disease symptom and vector terms. Elastic net models using the larger term list were highly accurate (Root Mean Square Error: 0.74, Mean Absolute Error: 0.52, R2: 0.97) for four of the five regions of the United States. Including these more environmental terms improved accuracy 1.33-fold while reducing error 0.5-fold compared to predictions from models using disease symptom and vector terms alone. Models using Google data similar to this could help local and state public health agencies accurately monitor Lyme disease burden during times of reporting lag from federal public health reporting agencies.

A Review of Sentinel Laboratory Performance: Identification and Notification of Bioterrorism Agents

2010 ◽  
Vol 134 (10) ◽  
pp. 1490-1503
Author(s):  
Elizabeth A. Wagar ◽  
Michael J. Mitchell ◽  
Karen C. Carroll ◽  
Kathleen G. Beavis ◽  
Cathy Anne Petti ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
United States ◽  
The United States ◽  
Time Interval ◽  
Reference Laboratory ◽  
Tularensis Subsp ◽  
Public Health Agencies ◽  
Response Network ◽  
Health Agencies ◽  
Control And Prevention

Abstract Context.—The anthrax incident of 2001 in the United States prompted the College of American Pathologists (CAP), the Association of Public Health Laboratories, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to develop exercises for Laboratory Response Network (LRN) sentinel laboratories. Objective.—To provide an overview of the results of the CAP bioterrorism Laboratory Preparedness Survey (LPS, 2007) and Laboratory Preparedness Exercise (LPX, 2008) and assist LRN sentinel laboratories and public health agencies in planning for bioterrorism events. Design.—Bioterrorism agents and nonbiothreat mimic organisms were provided in 2 mailings per year (2007 and 2008, 20 total challenges). Within each mailing, 2 to 3 agents were category A or category B bioterrorism agents (total of 10 categoric challenges). Some category A/B isolates were modified/vaccine strains. The total number of laboratories participating in these exercises ranged from 1316 to 1381. Isolate characteristics used to identify the organisms were compiled along with the participants' reporting actions. Educational commentary was provided with each exercise. Results.—Acceptable identification responses were as follows: Bacillus anthracis, 90% (2007) and 99.9% (2008); Yersinia pestis, 83.8% (2007) and 87.6% (2008); and Francisella tularensis subsp Holarctica, 86.6% (2007) and 91.6% (2008). The time interval between specimen receipt and notification of results to an LRN reference laboratory decreased from more than 10 days in 2007 to 3 or 4 days in 2008 for some challenges. Conclusions.—The bioterrorism challenge program (LPS, LPX) provides important comparative data from more than 1300 sentinel laboratories that can be used by individual laboratories to evaluate their identification and LRN reporting performance.

Outdoor Recreationists’ Perceptions of Risk, Agency Trust, and Visitor Capacities During the COVID-19 Pandemic

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
William Rice ◽  
Timothy Mateer ◽  
Peter Newman ◽  
Ben Lawhon ◽  
Nathan Reigner ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Perceived Risk ◽  
Outdoor Recreation ◽  
Public Lands ◽  
The United States ◽  
Individual Risk ◽  
Public Health Agencies ◽  
Management Actions ◽  
Health Agencies ◽  
Community Risk

For nearly a century in the United States, visitor capacities have served as a means of preserving resources and the visitor experience on public lands. The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in increased interest in implementing visitor capacities that could potentially limit use on public lands, suggesting a need to understand public support for their use in a timely manner. Risk and trust have been used in previous research concerning support for natural resource and outdoor recreation decision-making. Research in this realm includes investigation at the intersection of outdoor recreation and public health, specific to chronic wasting disease. Following this previous research, this study utilizes the constructs of risk and trust to examine support for visitor capacities that could potentially limit use during the COVID-19 pandemic. Specifically, this theory-driven research relies on the cultural theory of risk and social trust theory. Using structural equation modeling and a sample of avid outdoor enthusiasts, we examine how well 1) perceived individual risk, 2) perceived community risk, 3) trust in public health agencies, and 4) trust in public land agencies predict support for visitor capacities that could potentially limit use. An email-distributed online survey was available for 48 hours beginning on April 30, 2020—during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States. Measurement of perceived risk and trust followed previous research relating to outdoor recreation and public health. Results indicate that outdoor enthusiasts are concerned about their individual and community health and reported higher levels of trust in data coming directly from public health agencies as opposed to state or federal land management agencies. Additionally, perceived individual risk and perceived community risk were significant predictors of support for visitor capacities. These findings can be used to improve the effectiveness of messaging intended to connect perceived risk to the management of parks and protected areas, thus providing credibility to management actions implemented during the pandemic. Additional implications from this research include the need for additional research examining support for management actions that could potentially limit use on public lands, the multidimensionality of trust in outdoor recreation, and individual risk in frontcountry outdoor recreation settings.

A System-Level Intervention to Encourage Collaboration Between Juvenile Justice and Public Health Agencies to Promote HIV/STI Testing

2020 ◽  
Vol 32 (4) ◽  
pp. 337-355 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katherine S. Elkington ◽  
Anne Spaulding ◽  
Sheena Gardner ◽  
Danica Knight ◽  
Steven Belenko ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Juvenile Justice ◽  
Health Agency ◽  
The United States ◽  
Practice Change ◽  
System Level ◽  
Public Health Agencies ◽  
Treatment Services ◽  
Sti Testing ◽  
Health Agencies

Justice-involved youth are at high risk for HIV and STIs, and justice agencies are uniquely poised to offer HIV/STI testing. However, testing in these settings is not routine and represents a missed opportunity. This study describes a system-level implementation intervention designed to increase access to HIV/STI testing through juvenile justice (JJ) and public health agency collaboration across six counties in six states in the United States. Local change teams, active facilitation, and training were utilized to facilitate agency partnerships and development of HIV/STI practice change protocols. Five counties established health and JJ partnerships and four counties successfully implemented their protocols. Sites with HIV/STI education and testing protocols behaviorally screened 98.5% of youth and tested 41.2% of those youth; 0% were HIV+ and 43.2% had an STI. The intervention provides a feasible, scalable solution, through promoting partnerships between JJ and health agencies, to link youth to testing and treatment services.

scholarly journals Identifying Influential Factors in the Discussion Dynamics of Emerging Health Issues on Social Media: Computational Study (Preprint)

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lida Safarnejad ◽  
Qian Xu ◽  
Yaorong Ge ◽  
Arunkumar Bagavathi ◽  
Siddharth Krishnan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
United States ◽  
Social Media ◽  
Time Series ◽  
Real World ◽  
Driving Forces ◽  
The United States ◽  
Web Based ◽  
Health Agencies ◽  
Influential Users

BACKGROUND Social media has become a major resource for observing and understanding public opinions using infodemiology and infoveillance methods, especially during emergencies such as disease outbreaks. For public health agencies, understanding the driving forces of web-based discussions will help deliver more effective and efficient information to general users on social media and the web. OBJECTIVE The study aimed to identify the major contributors that drove overall Zika-related tweeting dynamics during the 2016 epidemic. In total, 3 hypothetical drivers were proposed: (1) the underlying Zika epidemic quantified as a time series of case counts; (2) sporadic but critical real-world events such as the 2016 Rio Olympics and World Health Organization’s Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) announcement, and (3) a few influential users’ tweeting activities. METHODS All tweets and retweets (RTs) containing the keyword Zika posted in 2016 were collected via the Gnip application programming interface (API). We developed an analytical pipeline, EventPeriscope, to identify co-occurring trending events with Zika and quantify the strength of these events. We also retrieved Zika case data and identified the top influencers of the Zika discussion on Twitter. The influence of 3 potential drivers was examined via a multivariate time series analysis, signal processing, a content analysis, and text mining techniques. RESULTS Zika-related tweeting dynamics were not significantly correlated with the underlying Zika epidemic in the United States in any of the four quarters in 2016 nor in the entire year. Instead, peaks of Zika-related tweeting activity were strongly associated with a few critical real-world events, both planned, such as the Rio Olympics, and unplanned, such as the PHEIC announcement. The Rio Olympics was mentioned in >15% of all Zika-related tweets and PHEIC occurred in 27% of Zika-related tweets around their respective peaks. In addition, the overall tweeting dynamics of the top 100 most actively tweeting users on the Zika topic, the top 100 users receiving most RTs, and the top 100 users mentioned were the most highly correlated to and preceded the overall tweeting dynamics, making these groups of users the potential drivers of tweeting dynamics. The top 100 users who retweeted the most were not critical in driving the overall tweeting dynamics. There were very few overlaps among these different groups of potentially influential users. CONCLUSIONS Using our proposed analytical workflow, EventPeriscope, we identified that Zika discussion dynamics on Twitter were decoupled from the actual disease epidemic in the United States but were closely related to and highly influenced by certain sporadic real-world events as well as by a few influential users. This study provided a methodology framework and insights to better understand the driving forces of web-based public discourse during health emergencies. Therefore, health agencies could deliver more effective and efficient web-based communications in emerging crises.

A public health outbreak management framework applied to surges in opioid overdoses

2017 ◽  
Vol 13 (5) ◽  
pp. 273 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kieran Moore, MD, CCFP (EM), FCFP, MPH, DTM&H, FRCPC ◽  
Maximilien Boulet, BSc ◽  
Julia Lew, BSc ◽  
Nicholas Papadomanolakis-Pakis, BSocSc, MPA
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
The United States ◽  
Opioid Overdose ◽  
Prescription Opioids ◽  
Outbreak Management ◽  
Management Framework ◽  
Public Health Agencies ◽  
The Past ◽  
Health Agencies ◽  
Related Mortality

Objective: Over the past decade, Canada and the United States have been facing an epidemic of harms from prescription opioids. More recently, opioid-naïve individuals have been exposed to illicit opioids through adulterated combination products. This has resulted in sudden surges of opioid-related mortality. A proactive public health solution is needed to prevent further death. We propose examining these surges in opioid overdoses as outbreaks and investigating them in a similar way to an outbreak of an infectious disease. An epidemiologic investigation model for opioid overdose outbreaks, that could be modified by other public health agencies,is discussed.

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