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PROJECTS
INCIDENT COMMAND SYSTEM FOR LOCAL PUBLIC HEALTH RESPONSE
Goal:
To operationalize all-hazards local public health response along
principles of incident command.
Objectives
- Organize
local public health functions into appropriate response sectors
(e.g., logistics, planning, operations and administration)
- Identify
job-specific duties and responsibilities
- Create
operational manuals (that include job action sheets) for each
specific job category
- Develop
education programs for training staff in their job categories
- Illustrate
model effectiveness through training and evaluation
Deliverables
Organizing
framework, training materials and manuals for distribution to
other local health departments
Project lead
Darren Collins
Projected completion date
Fall/Winter 2004
EMPLOYEE
INTERNAL PREPAREDNESS COMMUNICATIONS CAMPAIGN
Goal:
To develop a communications campaign that will facilitate change
within local public health agencies and emphasizes preparedness
roles and responsibilities of all local public health staff.
Objectives
- Determine
theme
- Identify
campaign elements
- Develop
preparedness handbook
- Develop
an approach to roll-out campaign
- Produce
campaign materials and distribute to staff
- Illustrate
the benefits that can be realized by including the entire
public health workforce in preparedness efforts
Deliverables
Preparedness
handbook for employees, model approach to engage employees in
preparedness activities
Project lead
Kathleen Peters
Projected completion date
Winter 2004
MENTAL
HEALTH PREPAREDNESS PLANNING
Goal:
To raise awareness about the critical role that mental health
professionals play in responding to a public health emergency.
Objectives
- Develop
tabletop exercises highlighting the unique aspects of a mental
health response to an emerging public health threat
- Conduct
tabletop exercises with mental health working group
- Illustrate
exercise effectiveness through evaluation
- Revise
exercise and disseminate to local public health agencies
Deliverables
Mental
health planning framework, tabletop exercises for distribution
to local public health agencies
Project lead
Dr. Scott Wetterhall
Projected completion date
Fall 2004
NEIGHBORHOOD
HELP CENTER MODEL FOR ANTIBIOTIC DISTRIBUTION
Goal:
Develop a scalable model for rapid delivery of critical antibiotics
and vaccines to large numbers of community residents during
a public health emergency.
Objectives
- Illustrate
effectiveness of the help center model by evaluating experience
in conducting mock anthrax clinic exercise
- Develop
manual for line-level workers and volunteers to establish
and staff neighborhood help centers
Deliverable
Manual
for line-level workers and volunteers to establish and staff
neighborhood help centers
Project lead
Kathleen Peters
Projected completion date
Fall 2004
STUDENT
OUTREACH RESPONSE TEAM (SORT)
Goal:
To develop a model program for integrating graduate public health
students into local public health practice.
Objectives
- Design
program structure, including mission and objectives
- Recruit
master's of public health students into program
- Develop
and conduct trainings on a variety of local public health
topics
- After
evaluating program, create manual for use by other local health
departments in creating their own SORT programs
Deliverable
Manual
for creating SORT program in other local public health jurisdictions
Project lead
Kathleen Peters
Projected completion date
Fall 2004
INTRODUCTION
TO PUBLIC HEALTH FOR FIRST RESPONDERS
Goal:
Improve collaboration between first responders and health departments
by enhancing the first responders' understanding of local public
health practice
Objectives
- Identify
training needs by working with training coordinators from
DeKalb County fire and rescue department
- Develop
and test course curriculum by providing instruction to DeKalb
first responders
- Collaborate
with fire and rescue academy staff to obtain course accreditation
(for inclusion in first responder training academy core curriculum
and recertification requirements)
Deliverable
Accredited
course for training public safety personnel on the fundamentals
of local public health practice
Project lead
Darren Collins
Projected completion date
Fall 2004
INTRODUCTION
TO PUBLIC HEALTH FOR MEDICAL STUDENTS
Goal:
To increase awareness of public health preparedness among medical
school students and residents.
Objectives
- Develop
tabletop exercise of a community-based infectious disease
outbreak for medical students and internal medicine residents
- Train
medical school faculty in conducting tabletop exercises
- Evaluate
exercise effectiveness
- Revise
exercise and teaching materials for dissemination to faculty
at other medical schools
Community
Networks/Partners
Emory University School of Medicine students, Emory internal
medicine faculty
Deliverables
Tabletop
exercise and teaching materials for distribution to medical
school faculties
Project lead
Dr. Scott Wetterhall
Projected completion date
Summer 2004
MENTORING
PUBLIC HEALTH WORKERS
Goal: To share a model for engaging all units of a local public
health agency into a multidisciplinary team responsible for
emergency preparedness
Objectives
- Complete
course curriculum
- Conduct
and evaluate course
- Revise
curriculum and training materials
- Disseminate
materials to other local health agencies
Deliverables
Course
curriculum and teaching materials for dissemination to other
local health agencies
Project lead
Darren Collins
Projected completion date
Fall 2004
EMERGENCY
DEPARTMENT SURVEILLANCE PILOT
Goal: Develop and pilot an emergency department-based surveillance
system that will enhance the DeKalb County Board of Health's
ability to detect, characterize and respond to community health
threats
Objectives
- Develop,
document and run a system for receiving and warehousing relevant
emergency department data every 24 hours from local emergency
departments
- Develop,
document and run a system for providing key stakeholders relevant
statistical reports on select community health threats
- Develop,
document and pilot a system for responding to epidemics of
select community health threats
- Evaluate
the entire surveillance system based on relevant indicators
of success and cost
Deliverable
Report
(i.e., publication) on the feasibility of this tool for conducting
surveillance of emergency department patients
Project lead
Kathleen Peters
Projected completion date
Winter 2004
TABLETOP
EXERCISE FOR MEDIA REPRESENTATIVES
Goal: To improve risk communications by strengthening our relationships
with the media
Objectives
- Identify
media champion to co-sponsor event
- Use
exercise to raise awareness of media about unique aspects
of bioterrorist events
- Conduct
moderated discussion about role of media during a public health
emergency
- Make
exercise summary, tabletop exercise and discussion results
available for distribution to other health agencies
Deliverables
Tabletop
exercise and exercise summary for distribution to other local
health agencies
Project lead
Darren Collins
Projected completion date
Winter 2004
DRILLS
AND EXERCISES
Goal:
To evaluate and improve our preparedness capacity
Objectives
- Conduct
multi-agency functional exercise that tests our operational
readiness
- Evaluate
exercise results
- Revise
and refocus partnership, planning and training efforts
- Conduct
second multi-agency functional exercise and evaluate results
Deliverables
Revised
plans for partnership, planning and training efforts
Project lead
To be determined
Projected completion date
Winter 2004-05
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