scholarly journals A Panel Evaluation of the Changes in the General Public’s Social-Media-Following of United States’ Public Health Departments during COVID-19 Pandemic

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
pp. 215013272199545
Author(s):  
Areej Khokhar ◽  
Aaron Spaulding ◽  
Zuhair Niazi ◽  
Sikander Ailawadhi ◽  
Rami Manochakian ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Social Media ◽  
State Level ◽  
The State ◽  
Public Health Department ◽  
Health Departments ◽  
The Public ◽  
Public Health Departments ◽  
The Social ◽  
The U.S

Importance: Social media is widely used by various segments of society. Its role as a tool of communication by the Public Health Departments in the U.S. remains unknown. Objective: To determine the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on social media following of the Public Health Departments of the 50 States of the U.S. Design, Setting, and Participants: Data were collected by visiting the Public Health Department web page for each social media platform. State-level demographics were collected from the U.S. Census Bureau. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention was utilized to collect information regarding the Governance of each State’s Public Health Department. Health rankings were collected from “America’s Health Rankings” 2019 Annual report from the United Health Foundation. The U.S. News and World Report Education Rankings were utilized to provide information regarding the public education of each State. Exposure: Data were pulled on 3 separate dates: first on March 5th (baseline and pre-national emergency declaration (NED) for COVID-19), March 18th (week following NED), and March 25th (2 weeks after NED). In addition, a variable identifying the total change across platforms was also created. All data were collected at the State level. Main Outcome: Overall, the social media following of the state Public Health Departments was very low. There was a significant increase in the public interest in following the Public Health Departments during the early phase of the COVID-19 pandemic. Results: With the declaration of National Emergency, there was a 150% increase in overall public following of the State Public Health Departments in the U.S. The increase was most noted in the Midwest and South regions of the U.S. The overall following in the pandemic “hotspots,” such as New York, California, and Florida, was significantly lower. Interesting correlations were noted between various demographic variables, health, and education ranking of the States and the social media following of their Health Departments. Conclusion and Relevance: Social media following of Public Health Departments across all States of the U.S. was very low. Though, the social media following significantly increased during the early course of the COVID-19 pandemic, but it still remains low. Significant opportunity exists for Public Health Departments to improve social media use to engage the public better.

scholarly journals The impact of the COVID-19 response on the provision of other public health services in the U.S.: A cross sectional study

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kristina W. Kintziger ◽  
Kahler W. Stone ◽  
Meredith Jagger ◽  
Jennifer A. Horney
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Health Services ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Health Departments ◽  
Public Health Services ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Career Plans ◽  
Public Health Departments ◽  
Essential Public Health Services ◽  
The U.S

Abstract Background Funding and staff formerly dedicated to routine public health tasks (e.g., responding to communicable and non-communicable diseases, investigating foodborne outbreaks, conducting routine surveillance) and services (e.g., environmental health, substance abuse, maternal-child health) may no longer be available in many public health departments due to the COVID-19 response. The objective of this study was to assess the extent to which staffing for essential public health services has been redirected to the COVID-19 response. Methods This is a cross-sectional study using a survey distributed through the Qualtrics platform. Individuals (N = 298) working in public health across governmental and academic public health departments in the U.S. during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic response were surveyed. Survey items measured multiple domains including professional experience (i.e., training, years of experience, content expertise, job functions), mental and physical health status (i.e., generalized anxiety, depression, burnout), and career plans (i.e., pre-pandemic vs. current career plans). Results The total number of content expertise areas and programmatic functions covered by individual public health workers increased between January and September of 2020, with 26% (73 of 282) of respondents reporting an increase in both. The total number of respondents working in infectious disease and preparedness remained constant, while declines were reported in program evaluation (-36%) and health education (-27%) and increases were reported in disease investigation (+ 35%). Conclusions The provision of many essential public health functions and tasks have been limited or eliminated while the U.S. public health workforce responds to the COVID-19 pandemic. These findings highlight opportunities for funding and professional development of public health systems, both during and after the COVID-19 response, to help ensure the continuity of essential public health services, staffing sustainability, and preparedness for future public health emergencies in the U.S. Trial registration: Not applicable.

scholarly journals Notes From the Field: Use of Emergency Medical Service Data to Augment COVID-19 Public Health Surveillance in Montgomery County, Maryland, From March to June 2020

10.2196/22331 ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. e22331 ◽  
Author(s):  
David R Sayers ◽  
Scott T Hulse ◽  
Bryant J Webber ◽  
Timothy A Burns ◽  
Anne L Denicoff
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Emergency Medical Service ◽  
Medical Service ◽  
Emergency Department Visits ◽  
Montgomery County ◽  
Health Departments ◽  
The Public ◽  
Public Health Departments ◽  
Emergency Medical ◽  
Service Data

Epidemiologic and syndromic surveillance metrics traditionally used by public health departments can be enhanced to better predict hospitalization for coronavirus disease (COVID-19). In Montgomery County, Maryland, measurements of oxygen saturation (SpO2) by pulse oximetry obtained by the emergency medical service (EMS) were added to these traditional metrics to enhance the public health picture for decision makers. During a 78-day period, the rolling 7-day average of the percentage of EMS patients with SpO2 <94% had a stronger correlation with next-day hospital bed occupancy (Spearman ρ=0.58, 95% CI 0.40-0.71) than either the rolling 7-day average of the percentage of positive tests (ρ=0.55, 95% CI: 0.37-0.69) or the rolling 7-day average of the percentage of emergency department visits for COVID-19–like illness (ρ=0.49, 95% CI: 0.30-0.64). Health departments should consider adding EMS data to augment COVID-19 surveillance and thus improve resource allocation.

scholarly journals Notes From the Field: Use of Emergency Medical Service Data to Augment COVID-19 Public Health Surveillance in Montgomery County, Maryland, From March to June 2020 (Preprint)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
David R Sayers ◽  
Scott T Hulse ◽  
Bryant J Webber ◽  
Timothy A Burns ◽  
Anne L Denicoff
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Emergency Medical Service ◽  
Medical Service ◽  
Emergency Department Visits ◽  
Montgomery County ◽  
Health Departments ◽  
The Public ◽  
Public Health Departments ◽  
Emergency Medical ◽  
Service Data

UNSTRUCTURED Epidemiologic and syndromic surveillance metrics traditionally used by public health departments can be enhanced to better predict hospitalization for coronavirus disease (COVID-19). In Montgomery County, Maryland, measurements of oxygen saturation (SpO<sub>2</sub>) by pulse oximetry obtained by the emergency medical service (EMS) were added to these traditional metrics to enhance the public health picture for decision makers. During a 78-day period, the rolling 7-day average of the percentage of EMS patients with SpO<sub>2</sub> &lt;94% had a stronger correlation with next-day hospital bed occupancy (Spearman ρ=0.58, 95% CI 0.40-0.71) than either the rolling 7-day average of the percentage of positive tests (ρ=0.55, 95% CI: 0.37-0.69) or the rolling 7-day average of the percentage of emergency department visits for COVID-19–like illness (ρ=0.49, 95% CI: 0.30-0.64). Health departments should consider adding EMS data to augment COVID-19 surveillance and thus improve resource allocation.

scholarly journals Can Cost-effective Reallocation of Inputs Increase the Efficiency of the Public Health System in Pakistan?

1997 ◽  
Vol 36 (4II) ◽  
pp. 669-693
Author(s):  
M. Aynulhasan ◽  
Hafiz A. Pasha ◽  
Ajazm M. Rasheed
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Health System ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Public Health System ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Critical Issue ◽  
Public Health Department ◽  
Social Sector ◽  
The Public ◽  
The Social

Heavy investment in many developing countries in the social sector including health is based on the premise that human capital is vital to the growth and development of a nation. However, Pakistan's spending on this sector has been one of the lowest in the region. In the present environment of high budget deficits, one does not expect substantial public funds to be forthcoming and diverted towards the social sector in the intermediate- or medium-term future. The critical issue facing the public sector should then be to design health policies which must be cost-effective and efficient. This study examines these health policy issues within the context of an optimisation framework for public health system, forecasts future upto (2002-03) and discusses an efficient optimal mix of health inputs, outputs, expenditures, and wage policies under alternative scenarios. The study recommends that, first, growth of health infrastructure building in the urban areas be slowed down in the short-term (two to three years), and some of the resources reallocated towards the rural sector either in terms of building new Basic Health Units or upgrading the existing Rural Health Centres. Second, not only attractive wage policies be formulated for health personnel, but the status of nurses in the public health system be also elevated by giving them higher grades. Third, for every rupee of development expenditure incurred, Public Health Department must plan or keep provisions for recurring outlays. All this reallocation of resources is feasible within the projected actual budget and it will lead to efficiency gains in the order of 8 to 10 percent for the entire public health system.

The Role of the Public Health Training Centers in Advancing Public Health Department Accreditation

2017 ◽  
Vol 3 (1_suppl) ◽  
pp. 64S-66S ◽  
Author(s):  
Laurie Walkner ◽  
Tanya M. Uden-Holman ◽  
Jeneane Moody ◽  
Joy Harris
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Capacity Building ◽  
Workforce Development ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Health Department ◽  
Public Health Department ◽  
Health Departments ◽  
Health Training ◽  
The Public ◽  
Public Health Training

In the past few years, the drive for public health department accreditation has continued to build momentum. As the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention notes, “Engaging in accreditation catalyzes quality and performance improvement within all public health programs and can help health departments be better prepared to proactively respond to emerging and reemerging health challenges”. Many organizations support accreditation efforts, including the Public Health Training Centers (PHTCs), which have been providing workforce development support since 1999. This article describes how one PHTC, the Midwestern Public Health Training Center, has supported capacity building for accreditation in partnership with other state-based organizations through the development of three major accreditation readiness activities: accreditation workshops, informational videos on Public Health Accreditation Board standards and measures, and competency-based workforce development assessments. Given the current and emerging public health challenges, the need for a well-prepared workforce is more important than ever to strengthen the public health system, and by engaging in activities to meet the accreditation standards, public health departments will be better positioned to respond to these challenges. PHTCs will continue to have a critical role in capacity building for accreditation.

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