Application for Public Health Accreditation Among US Local Health Departments in 2013 to 2019: Impact of Service and Activity Mix

2020 ◽  
pp. e1-e8
Author(s):  
Jonathon P. Leider ◽  
Jessica Kronstadt ◽  
Valerie A. Yeager ◽  
Kellie Hall ◽  
Chelsey K. Saari ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
United States ◽  
Latent Class ◽  
The United States ◽  
Local Health ◽  
Health Departments ◽  
Local Health Departments ◽  
Profile Data ◽  
The Public ◽  
Funding Support

Objectives. To examine correlates of applying for accreditation among small local health departments (LHDs) in the United States through 2019. Methods. We used administrative data from the Public Health Accreditation Board (PHAB) and 2013, 2016, and 2019 Profile data from the National Association of County and City Health Officials to examine correlates of applying for PHAB accreditation. We fit a latent class analysis (LCA) to characterize LHDs by service mix and size. We made bivariate comparisons using the t test and Pearson χ2. Results. By the end of 2019, 126 small LHDs had applied for accreditation (8%). When we compared reasons for not pursuing accreditation, we observed a difference by size for perceptions that standards exceeded LHD capacity (47% for small vs 22% for midsized [P < .001] and 0% for large [P < .001]). Conclusions. Greater funding support, considering differing standards by LHD size, and recognition that service mix might affect practicality of accreditation are all relevant considerations in attempting to increase uptake of accreditation for small LHDs. Public Health Implications. Overall, small LHDs represented about 60% of all LHDs that had not yet applied to PHAB. (Am J Public Health. Published online ahead of print December 22, 2020: e1–e8. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2020.306007 )

Evidence-Based Interventions to Control Diabetes by Local Health Departments in the United States

Diabetes ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 67 (Supplement 1) ◽  
pp. 694-P
Author(s):  
RACHEL G. TABAK ◽  
RENEE G. PARKS ◽  
PEG M. ALLEN ◽  
REBEKAH R. JACOB ◽  
STEPHANIE MAZZUCCA ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
The United States ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
Local Health ◽  
Health Departments ◽  
Local Health Departments ◽  
Control Diabetes

A Toolkit to Assess Medical Reserve Corps Units' Performance

2010 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
pp. 213-219 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elena Savoia ◽  
Sarah Massin-Short ◽  
Melissa Ann Higdon ◽  
Lindsay Tallon ◽  
Emmanuel Matechi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Factor Analysis ◽  
The United States ◽  
Local Health ◽  
Health Departments ◽  
Local Health Departments ◽  
Validity And Reliability ◽  
National Network ◽  
Medical Reserve Corps ◽  
Survey Instruments

ABSTRACTObjectives: The Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) is a national network of community-based units created to promote the local identification, recruitment, training, and activation of volunteers to assist local health departments in public health activities. This study aimed to develop a toolkit for MRC coordinators to assess and monitor volunteer units' performance and identify barriers limiting volunteerism.Methods: In 2008 and 2009, MRC volunteers asked to participate in influenza clinics were surveyed in 7 different locations throughout the United States. Two survey instruments were used to assess the performance of the volunteers who were able to participate, the specific barriers that prevented some volunteers from participating, and the overall attitudes of those who participated and those who did not. Validity and reliability of the instruments were assessed through the use of factor analysis and Cronbach's alpha.Results: Two survey instruments were developed: the Volunteer Self-Assessment Questionnaire and the Barriers to Volunteering Questionnaire. Data were collected from a total of 1059 subjects, 758 participated in the influenza clinics and 301 were unable to attend. Data from the 2 instruments were determined to be suitable for factor analysis. Factor solutions and inter-item correlations supported the hypothesized domain structure for both survey questionnaires. Results on volunteers' performance were consistent with observations of both local health departments' staff and external observers.Conclusions: The survey instruments developed for this study appear to be valid and reliable means to assess the performance and attitudes of MRC volunteers and barriers to their participation. This study found these instruments to have face and content validity and practicality. MRC coordinators can use these questionnaires to monitor their ability to engage volunteers in public health activities.(Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2010;4:213-219)

Complaint-Based Surveillance for Foodborne Illness in the United States: A Survey of Local Health Departments

2011 ◽  
Vol 74 (3) ◽  
pp. 432-437 ◽  
Author(s):  
JOHN LI ◽  
GULZAR H. SHAH ◽  
CRAIG HEDBERG
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Burden Of Illness ◽  
Public Health Problem ◽  
The United States ◽  
Foodborne Illness ◽  
Outbreak Detection ◽  
Local Health ◽  
Surveillance Systems ◽  
Health Departments ◽  
Local Health Departments

Foodborne illnesses are an important public health problem in the United States in terms of both the burden of illness and cost to the health care system. Strengthening foodborne illness surveillance helps address the growing issues of food safety in the United States. Very little is known about the use of consumer complaint surveillance systems for foodborne illness. This study evaluates the use of these surveillance systems by local health departments (LHDs) in the United States and their practices and policies for investigating complaints. Data for this study were collected through two Web-based surveys based on a representative sample of LHDs in the United States; 81% of LHDs use complaint-based surveillance. Of those that did not have a complaint system, 64% reported that the state health department or another agency ran their complaint system. Health departments collect a wide variety of information from callers through their complaint systems, including food intake history. Most of the LHDs, however, do not store the information in an electronic database. Outbreak rates and complaint rates were found to be positively correlated, with a Pearson's correlation coefficient of 0.38. Complaints were the most common outbreak detection mechanism reported by respondents, with a median of 69% of outbreaks during the previous year found through complaints. Complaint systems are commonly used in the United States. Increasing the rate at which illnesses are reported by the public and improving investigation practices could help increase the number of outbreaks detected through complaint surveillance.

Public Health and Pharmacy in the United States

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bruce Lubotsky Levin ◽  
Ardis Hanson ◽  
Peter D. Hurd
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
United States ◽  
United States Public Health ◽  
The United States ◽  
Local Health ◽  
Local Health Departments ◽  
Public Health Programs ◽  
The Future ◽  
Us Government ◽  
State And Local

In 1988, the Institute of Medicine’s Committee for the Study of the Future of Public Health closely examined public health programs and the coordination of services across US government agencies and within state and local health departments. Its subsequent report, The Future of Public Health, defined both the substance and the mission of public health, reifying a community-based prevention and promotion foci with the larger societal goal of healthy neighborhoods and lifestyles. This chapter examines the evolution and organization of the United States public health system, including local, state, national, and tribal health systems, as well as the roles public health and pharmacy play in the respective education and practice of each discipline.

scholarly journals Consolidating Local Health Departments in the United States: Challenges, Evidence, and Thoughts for the Future

2019 ◽  
Vol 134 (2) ◽  
pp. 103-108
Author(s):  
John Hoornbeek ◽  
Michael Morris ◽  
Patrick Libbey ◽  
Gianfranco Pezzino
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
The United States ◽  
Local Health ◽  
Health Departments ◽  
Local Health Departments ◽  
The Future
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