scholarly journals Ten Urgent Priorities Based on Lessons Learned From More Than a Half Million Known COVID-19 Cases in US Prisons

2021 ◽  
pp. e1-e7
Author(s):  
Elizabeth Barnert ◽  
Ada Kwan ◽  
Brie Williams
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Health Priorities ◽  
Health Departments ◽  
Public Health Response ◽  
Community Reentry ◽  
Public Health Departments ◽  
Health Response ◽  
Patient Health ◽  
Advance Care

COVID-19 is ravaging US prisons. Prison residents and staff must be prioritized for vaccination, but a rapidly mutating virus and high rates of continued spread require an urgent, coordinated public health response. Based on knowledge accumulated from the pandemic thus far, we have identified 10 pressing public health priorities for responding to COVID-19 in prisons: (1) accelerate population reduction coupled with community reentry support, (2) improve prison ventilation systems, (3) ensure appropriate mask use, (4) limit transfers between facilities, (5) strengthen partnerships between public health departments and prison leadership, (6) introduce or maintain effective occupational health programs, (7) ensure access to advance care planning processes for incarcerated patients and delineation of patient health care rights, (8) strengthen partnerships between prison leadership and incarcerated people, (9) provide emergency mental health support for prison residents and staff, and (10) commit to public accountability and transparency. Dedicated prison leaders cannot accomplish these public health priorities alone. We must mobilize prison leaders, staff, and residents; public health departments; community advocates; and policymakers to work together to address the pandemic’s outsized impact in US prisons. (Am J Public Health. Published online ahead of print April 15, 2021: e1–e7. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2021.306221 )

Not your typical “historian”

2018 ◽  
Vol 27 (5) ◽  
pp. 523-533
Author(s):  
Adrienne Lefevre ◽  
Madison Walter-Garcia ◽  
Kimberly Hanson ◽  
Julia Smith-Easley
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Incident Management ◽  
Public Health Response ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Incident Command ◽  
Health Community ◽  
Health Response ◽  
Decision Making Processes

Purpose In the incident command system (ICS) structure, response documentation is formally found within the planning section. However, longer term emergency responses have demonstrated the need for a flexible and innovative role that encompasses a variety of activities, including response documentation, communications science, real-time evaluation of major themes, and information management. The paper aims to discuss this issue. Design/methodology/approach This need can be universally met through the functional role of “Historian,” a term specific to ICS, or in the case of public health response, incident management system (IMS). It should be noted that the Historian role discussed is not related to the academic study of history, but to archiving key successes and challenges during a response. Ideally the Historian should be activated at the start of an emergency response and remain active to capture the overall picture of the response, including internal information, such as lessons learned, response activities, and decision-making processes. Findings The Historian compiles details of response activities that inform leadership, donors and external communications products while alleviating pressures on the planning section. The primary, minimum output of an IMS Historian is a response timeline, which notes major internal and external events during a response with emphasis on major themes, lessons learned, and creating a user-friendly interface to display this information (see the list “Abbreviated Example of Hurricane Matthew Response Timeline” in the text). Originality/value In a world with competing priorities and ongoing emergencies, the Historian’s role of archiving details of response efforts can help the international public health community to share lessons learned and contribute to lower morbidity and mortality among those affected by emergencies.

State Health Department Accreditation Technical Assistance: A Focused Strategic Thinking Approach

2017 ◽  
Vol 3 (1_suppl) ◽  
pp. 67S-72S ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter M. Ginter ◽  
Lauren Wallace ◽  
Andrew C. Rucks
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Health Outcomes ◽  
Community Health ◽  
Strategic Plan ◽  
Strategic Thinking ◽  
Health Priorities ◽  
Health Improvement ◽  
Health Departments ◽  
Public Health Departments ◽  
Public Health Training

Public health departments provide many services critical to maintaining healthy populations, including communicable disease control, immunizations, primary care, and emergency preparedness. The Public Health Accreditation Board (PHAB) has established an accreditation process for public health departments that measures departmental performance against nationally recognized, evidence-based standards. The goal is to recognize departmental strengths and weaknesses, strengthen partnerships, and promote the prioritization of organizational goals to improve community health. Achieving accreditation from the PHAB requires health departments to develop Community Health Assessment (CHA), Community Health Improvement Plan (CHIP), and Strategic Plan processes. The intent of the CHA is to determine contributing factors for poor health outcomes and assess available resources. Building on the CHA, the CHIP establishes health priorities and improvement strategies, including measurable health outcomes and recommended policy changes. Finally, Strategic Plan defines the health department’s strategic priorities, goals, and implementation plans. A number of methodologies are available to develop these plans, but many prove to be complicated and confusing, leading to suboptimal performance. The Alabama-Mississippi Public Health Training Center assisted the Alabama Department of Public Health with the creation of their plans by developing the Focused Strategic Thinking Approach, which supplied simple and effective processes to develop useful and successful plans. These processes provide useful guides for other public health departments developing their prerequisites as they pursue PHAB accreditation.

scholarly journals It's Best to Be Prepared: Lessons Learned from the Past Prepared Georgia for Hurricane Michael

2020 ◽  
Vol 36 (2s) ◽  
pp. 49-55
Author(s):  
Thuy-Vi Nguyen ◽  
Rosmarie Kelly ◽  
Byron Lobsinger ◽  
R. Christopher Rustin
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Environmental Health ◽  
Larval Habitat ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Public Health Response ◽  
Team Members ◽  
The Public ◽  
The Past ◽  
Health Response ◽  
Hurricane Irma

ABSTRACT Onsite assessments for mosquito larval habitat sites are critical after a hurricane makes landfall. Due to lack of forward assessment activities and the uncertain path of Hurricane Irma, it was difficult to determine what areas would be most affected, making it challenging to determine the availability of Department of Public Health Environmental Health Strike Team members from unaffected areas. However, lessons learned from assessing the public health response to Hurricane Irma (2017) helped improve the response to Hurricane Michael (2018).

scholarly journals 4.C. Round table: Recovering from the COVID-19 Pandemic: Identifying and Acting Upon Lessons Learned

2021 ◽  
Vol 31 (Supplement_3) ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Public Health Practice ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
European Countries ◽  
Scientific Uncertainty ◽  
Health Practice ◽  
Public Health Response ◽  
The Public ◽  
Health Response ◽  
Wide Range

Abstract   The COVID-19 pandemic has revealed many gaps and vulnerabilities in health systems and pandemic preparedness in European countries. It has also led to innovation and rapid improvements in certain elements of public health practice. One defining characteristic of the COVID-19 pandemic has been the rapid advance of scientific knowledge, accompanied by high degrees of scientific uncertainty. Each phase (or “wave”) of the pandemic has presented unique challenges. This workshop involves public health practitioners from multiple European countries. They will reflect upon some over-arching lessons learned through their experiences in the field, while also alluding to important innovations in public health that should be safeguarded for the future. The panellists will also discuss how lessons learned can be systematically identified and acted upon, through approaches such as after-action reviews (AARs), in order to optimise the public health response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic as well as to future ones. The panel discussion format of this workshop adds value to EUPHA 2021 participant through hearing, in a relatively informal format, the experiences from senior staff at national public health agencies from a variety of European countries and contexts. This approach keeps a coherence between speakers will also highlighting the unique challenges posed by specific national contexts. This workshop will also consider how processes such as AARs can be formalised to become routine aspects of public health practice. Particular attention will be paid to challenges and solutions that are similar across national boundaries. During the workshop, the moderator will ensure that the panelists responses are short and succinct. The final 15 minutes will be dedicated to questions from the audience. Speakers/Panelists Flavia Riccardo ISS, Rome, Italy Ute Rexroth RKI, Berlin, Germany Tanya Melillo Directorate of Health Promotion and Disease Prevention, MSIDA, Malta Mario Fafangel National Institute of Public Health, Ljubljana, Slovenia Key messages In order to guide the public health response to the COVID-19 pandemic as well as to future pandemics, it is essential to systematically identify lessons learned as well as innovative good practices. Identifying lessons learned, however, is only a first step as it is essential to develop action plans that are supported and endorsed across a wide range of stakeholders.

scholarly journals Training and Incorporating Students in SARS-CoV-2 Case Investigations and Contact Tracing

2020 ◽  
pp. 003335492097466
Author(s):  
Kristen Pogreba Brown ◽  
Erika Austhof ◽  
Ayeisha M. Rosa Hernández ◽  
Caitlyn McFadden ◽  
Kylie Boyd ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Call Center ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Contact Tracing ◽  
Local Health ◽  
Health Departments ◽  
Local Health Departments ◽  
Data Quality Control ◽  
Public Health Response ◽  
Health Response

Objectives In June 2020, Arizona had the fastest-growing number of cases of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) worldwide. As part of the growing public health response, the University of Arizona Student Aid for Field Epidemiology Response (SAFER) team was able to modify and increase case investigation efforts to assist local health departments. We outline the recommended logistical and management steps to include students in a public health response of this scope. Methods From April 1 through September 1, 2020, the SAFER team identified key components of a successful student team response: volunteer training, management that allows more senior students to manage newer students, adoption of case-management software, and use of an online survey platform for students to conduct interviews consistently and allow for data quality control and management. Results From April 1 through September 1, 2020, SAFER worked with 3 local health departments to complete 1910 COVID-19 case investigations through a virtual call center. A total of 233 volunteers and 46 hourly student workers and staff members were involved. As of September 2020, students were completing >150 interviews per week, including contact-tracing efforts. Practice Implications Developing relationships between applied public health and academic programs can relieve the burden of low-risk, high-volume case investigations at local and state health departments. Furthermore, by establishing a virtual call center, health sciences faculty and students can volunteer remotely during a pandemic with no additional risk of infection.

scholarly journals The BOLD Public Health Response to Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias: Past, Present, and Future

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 719-720
Author(s):  
Lisa McGuire ◽  
Nia Reed
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Alzheimer’S Disease ◽  
Alzheimer's Disease ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Public Health Issue ◽  
Preliminary Evaluation ◽  
Public Health Response ◽  
Road Map ◽  
Health Response ◽  
Starting Point

Abstract Achieving meaningful progress against Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRD) requires an urgent public health response. Since 2005, the Alzheimer’s Association, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and other public health partners collaborated on the Healthy Brain Initiative (HBI). HBI seeks to advance public health awareness of and action on ADRD as a public health issue. The HBI Road Map Series, State and Local Public Health Partnerships to Address Dementia: The 2018–2023 Road Map (S&L RM) and Road Map for Indian Country, provide the public health with concrete steps to respond to the growing burden of ADRD in communities, consistent with the aim of the Building Our Largest Dementia (BOLD) Infrastructure for Alzheimer’s Act (P.L. 115-406). This series of RMs for state, local, and tribal public health provide flexible menus of actions to address cognitive health, including ADRD, and support for dementia caregivers with population-based approaches. The purpose of this session is to illustrate public health’s role with ADRD—past, present, and future. An overview of the evolution of HBI RM series will be provided (McGuire) and preliminary evaluation data of 24 actions from S&L RM will be presented (French, Shean, Beatty). Holt, Reed, & McGuire will share lessons learned and next steps from CDC’s Regional Action Institutes designed to facilitate implementation of the RM series across the US. The intersection between the RM series and Age-Friendly Public Health Systems will be described as a starting point for public health (Wolfe, French, Shean).

scholarly journals Lessons Learned in Promoting Evidence-Based Public Health: Perspectives from Managers in State Public Health Departments

2018 ◽  
Vol 43 (5) ◽  
pp. 856-863 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peg Allen ◽  
Rebekah R. Jacob ◽  
Meenakshi Lakshman ◽  
Leslie A. Best ◽  
Kathryn Bass ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
Health Departments ◽  
Public Health Departments
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