A Survey of State Health Department Compliance with the Recommendations of the Institute of Medicine Report, "The Future of Public Health"

1997 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 13 ◽  
Author(s):  
F. Douglas Scutchfield ◽  
Cheryl A. Beversdof ◽  
Steven E. Hiltabiddle ◽  
Tida Violante
2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S512-S513
Author(s):  
John R Bassler ◽  
Emily B Levitan ◽  
Lauren Ostrenga ◽  
Danita C Crear ◽  
Kendra L Johnson ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Academic and public health partnerships are a critical component of the Ending the HIV Epidemic: A Plan for America (EHE). The Enhanced HIV/AIDS Reporting System (eHARS) is a standardized document-based surveillance database used by state health departments to collect and manage case reports, lab reports, and other documentation on persons living with HIV. Innovative analysis of this data can inform targeted, evidence-based interventions to achieve EHE objectives. We describe the development of a distributed data network strategy at an academic institution in partnership with public health departments to identify geographic differences in time to HIV viral suppression after HIV diagnosis using eHARS data. Figure 1. Distributed Data Network Methods This project was an outgrowth of work developed at the University of Alabama at Birmingham Center for AIDS Research (UAB CFAR) and existing relationships with the state health departments of Alabama, Louisiana, and Mississippi. At a project start-up meeting which included study investigators and state epidemiologists, core objectives and outcome measures were established, key eHARS variables were identified, and regulatory and confidentiality procedures were examined. The study methods were approved by the UAB Institutional Review Board (IRB) and all three state health department IRBs. Results A common data structure and data dictionary across the three states were developed. Detailed analysis protocols and statistical code were developed by investigators in collaboration with state health departments. Over the course of multiple in-person and virtual meetings, the program code was successfully piloted with one state health department. This generated initial summary statistics, including measures of central tendency, dispersion, and preliminary survival analysis. Conclusion We developed a successful academic and public health partnership creating a distributed data network that allows for innovative research using eHARS surveillance data while protecting sensitive health information. Next, state health departments will transmit summary statistics to UAB for combination using meta-analytic techniques. This approach can be adapted to inform delivery of targeted interventions at a regional and national level. Disclosures All Authors: No reported disclosures


2021 ◽  
pp. 003335492098415
Author(s):  
Stephanie Mazzucca ◽  
Rebekah R. Jacob ◽  
Cheryl A. Valko ◽  
Marti Macchi ◽  
Ross C. Brownson

Objectives Evidence-based decision making (EBDM) allows public health practitioners to implement effective programs and policies fitting the preferences of their communities. To engage in EBDM, practitioners must have skills themselves, their agencies must engage in administrative evidence-based practices (A-EBPs), and leaders must encourage the use of EBDM. We conducted this longitudinal study to quantify perceptions of individual EBDM skills and A-EBPs, as well as the longitudinal associations between the 2. Methods An online survey completed among US state health department practitioners in 2016 and 2018 assessed perceptions of respondents’ skills in EBDM and A-EBPs. We used χ2 tests, t tests, and linear regressions to quantify changes over time, differences by demographic characteristics, and longitudinal associations between individual skills and A-EBPs among respondents who completed both surveys (N = 336). Results Means of most individual EBDM skills and A-EBPs did not change significantly from 2016 to 2018. We found significant positive associations between changes in A-EBPs and changes in EBDM skill gaps: for example, a 1-point increase in the relationships and partnerships score was associated with a narrowing of the EBDM skill gap (β estimate = 0.38; 95% CI, 0.15-0.61). At both time points, perceived skills and A-EBPs related to financial practices were low. Conclusions Findings from this study can guide the development and dissemination of initiatives designed to simultaneously improve individual and organizational capacity for EBDM in public health settings. Future studies should focus on types of strategies most effective to build capacity in particular types of agencies and practitioners, to ultimately improve public health practice.


PEDIATRICS ◽  
1949 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 266-266

This is the title of a small pamphlet just issued by the Commonwealth Fund of New York. Written by Geddes Smith, an associate of the Fund, it describes an institute on mental health in public health which was held in the summer of 1948. Students at the institute were health officers of California counties and cities, or bureau chiefs in the State Health Department, with representatives of public health services of Tennessee, Mississippi, and Oklahoma.


Author(s):  
Kahler W. Stone ◽  
Marilyn Felkner ◽  
Eric Garza ◽  
Maria Perez-Patron ◽  
Cason Schmit ◽  
...  

Abstract Objectives: In response to increasing caseloads of foodborne illnesses and high consequence infectious disease investigations, the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) requested funding from the Texas Legislature in 2013 and 2015 for a new state-funded epidemiologist (SFE) program. Methods: Primary cross-sectional survey data were collected from 32 of 40 local health departments (LHDs) via an online instrument and analyzed to quantify roles, responsibilities, and training of epidemiologists in Texas in 2017 and compared to similar state health department assessments. Results: Sixty-six percent of SFEs had epidemiology-specific training (eg, master’s in public health) compared to 45% in state health department estimates. For LHDs included in this study, the mean number of epidemiologists per 100 000 was 0.73 in medium LHDs and 0.46 in large LHDs. SFE positions make up approximately 40% of the LHD epidemiology workforce of all sizes and 56% of medium-sized LHD epidemiology staff in Texas specifically. Conclusions: Through this program, DSHS increased epidemiology capacity almost twofold from 0.28 to 0.47 epidemiologists per 100 000 people. These findings suggest that capacity funding programs like this improve epidemiology capacity in local jurisdictions and should be considered in other regions to improve general public health preparedness and epidemiology capacity.


2015 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher D. Williams

Many State Health Departments (SHDs) are considering or preparing for voluntary accreditation through the Public Health Accreditation Board (PHAB). With the 2014 release of PHAB's Standards & Measures Version 1.5, health departments must adhere to specific documentation criteria regarding measures for public health surveillance. This presentation will provide one SHD's approach to identifying appropriate documents to meet the public health surveillance measures from a public health informatics perspective. A document selection matrix may be helpful to other SHDs considering accreditation.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document