PHF E-NEWS Original Date: 10-22-04
Subject: New Resources for Building Public Health InfrastructureThe following resources are available from the Public Health Foundation and partner organizations to strengthen public health infrastructure and response capacity:
1. TRAIN: Online Training Resource for Public Health Professionals
2. Public Health Partners Website: Achieve Your Healthy People 2010 Goals
3. Council on Linkages Helps Build Skills and Evidence at APHA 2004 Annual Meeting:
o Implementing the Core Competencies - Session
o Public Health Systems Research Leadership Forum4. Public Health Infrastructure Resource Center: Online Library of Infrastructure Resources
5. Radiation Information Report: New Report Assesses Agencies' Capacity to Respond to Public Information Needs on Radiation
See below for details of each resource or event.
1. TRAIN: Online Training Resource for Public Health Professionals
http://www.train.orgIf you haven’t gotten on board TRAIN—the TrainingFinder Real-time Affiliate Integrated Network—you might be missing out on public health training opportunities available to you! TRAIN, a recent expansion of the Public Health Foundation's popular TrainingFinder website, remains a *free service* for all professionals who protect the public's health. Over 33,000 registered users are already using TRAIN to easily search, register for, and track individual learning. The Network centralizes information on nearly 800 courses from 560 registered course providers nationwide. Users can search courses by subject area, keyword, format, credit type, competency, and other variables. In addition, the site allows registered users to search or browse state and local course listings in a growing number of states affiliated with the Network.
Course providers may register free to list their courses on the national TRAIN site and affiliated state sites through www.train.org. For more information on TRAIN, visit http://www.phf.org/flyers/TRAIN-facts.pdf.
2. Public Health Partners Website: Achieve Your Healthy People 2010 Goals
Healthy People 2010 Information Access Project
Partners in Information Access for the Public Health Workforce
http://phpartners.org/hpLet an "electronic librarian" find the latest research or evidence-based strategies to help you achieve Healthy People 2010 objectives. This National Library of Medicine-funded site offers an easy-to-use website that does all the search work for you. The site allows you to quickly find journal articles and links relevant to achieving Healthy People 2010 objectives without having to remember complicated Boolean or MeSH search terms. Simply click on the "PubMed Search" button next to an objective, and get instant results drawing from millions of citations in the PubMed database. Searches are now available for objectives in 12 Healthy People focus areas, including Access to Quality Health Services, Physical Fitness & Activity, Public Health Infrastructure, and more.
3. Council on Linkages Helps Build Skills and Evidence at APHA 2004 Annual Meeting
The Council on Linkages Between Academia and Public Health Practice (Council) will convene two sessions during the APHA annual meeting focused on helping public health agencies, organizations, and academic institutions build the skills and competencies of their workers and advance a prioritized, national public health systems research agenda. Add sessions 3101.0 and 4018.0 to your APHA personal scheduler at http://apha.confex.com/apha/132am/scheduler/.
A. Core Competencies: Moving from Examples to Implementation -
Session Number 3101.0
Monday, November 8, 2004 from 10:30 AM - 12:00 PM. (Grand Hyatt/Wilson/ Roosevelt)
Session Abstract http://apha.confex.com/apha/132am/techprogram/paper_94526.htmB. Convening a Public Health Systems Research Leadership Forum -
Session Number 4018.0
Tuesday, November 9, 2004: 8:30 AM - 10:00 AM. (Grand Hyatt/Constitution C)
Session Abstract http://apha.confex.com/apha/132am/techprogram/paper_94530.htm4. Online Library of Infrastructure Resources Now Available
Public Health Infrastructure Resource Center (PHIRC)
http://www.phf.org/infrastructureNeed more information to help strengthen your case with legislators on the importance of public health in your community? Looking for tools to assess your organization’s current capacity or to put performance management practices into action?
PHIRC provides critical information to help you strengthen your organization’s workforce capacity, information systems, and systems capacity. From the Search page, you can rapidly find reports, presentations, performance improvement tools, testimony, websites, and other public health infrastructure resources in the Public Health Foundation's PHIRC database. A special section is also devoted to further understanding of infrastructure for bioterrorism and related preparedness issues.
Questions and comments regarding the Resource Center may be directed to info@phf.org. Please put "PHIRC" in the subject line of your e-mail.
"Assessing and Meeting the Radiation Information Requirements of the Public:
Developing an Initial Framework to Meet the Needs of State, Local and Tribal Health Agencies"
Download the report: http://www.phf.org/radiation-information-needs.pdfIn a cooperative effort, the Environmental Protection Agency, The Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, and the Public Health Foundation analyzed data from five focus group conference calls and a web-based workshop to: determine the type and extent of radiation information requested from public health agencies, determine how prepared agencies are to answer the public’s questions, and discover the factors that would help the agencies optimize their performance when providing radiation information.
Study findings include: 1) a wide variety in types of information being requested with topics ranging from radon gas in homes and in drinking water, nuclear power plants and potential attacks on them, nuclear waste and waste sites, dirty bombs, regulations, license requirements, uranium mines, to medical uses of radiation, 2) a noted lack of protocols or knowledge management systems in use to ensure consistent responses to callers, and 3) a recognition of the importance of forming partnerships with the media and strengthening existing partnerships with first responders to be able to rapidly and accurately provide information in case of a radiological emergency or accident.
The report makes several recommendations to improve the access to and dissemination of information about radiation to the public, as well as outlines a plan for the development of a comprehensive radiation information clearinghouse.
Updated 9-9-06