Public Health Practices (PHP) Update

 

# 6785

 

 

Every few months I try to highlight the Public Health Practices project (formerly Promising Practices), a freely accessible repository of public health tools and strategies, sponsored by CIDRAP at the University of Minnesota, in partnership with the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO).

 

Over the past two years Public Health Practices has broadened its original scope to include more than just pandemic response. You’ll find tools and practices that cover a wide range of public health concerns, including chemical, radiological, and natural disasters.

 

 

In addition to the constantly expanding website, there is also a monthly email newsletter you can sign up for.

 

This continually expanding site includes:

• More than 400 public health practices in 9 categories of emergency preparedness and disaster response from state and local health agencies, community-based organizations, and colleges and universities.

• In-depth stories on how state and local projects were created, communications materials in more than 40 languages, and tools like job action sheets and media campaigns.

• Expert reviewers' commentary on a practice's effectiveness, reach, sustainability, feasibility, and transferability. Please note: expert review is only available for a select number of practices.

• A regular e-newsletter featuring our newest practices and other updates from the CIDRAP Public Health Practices staff.

• The ability to search for practices based on geography, available languages, and key topics in preparedness and response.

Recent additions to the practices database include:

 

Recent Practices

2012 Dec 12

Community Reception Center exercise tests Florida’s radiological screening and decontamination process

State and local health departments across the country have been planning to address radiological threats, whether accidental (eg, incidents at nearby nuclear power plants) or manmade (eg,...

2012 Oct 16

Michigan integrates disaster preparedness curriculum into school health program

Disaster preparedness at the family level has been the focus of many public health agencies' communications campaigns. Recent collaborations between health agencies and school districts have...

2012 Oct 16

Social media training program builds responders' comfort with and ability to use Facebook and Twitter for emergency communications

Social media is used increasingly to alert, update, or provide recommendations to the public during emergencies. A 2011 American Red Cross (ARC) survey found that the Internet is the third most...

2012 Sep 17

Toolkit adapts infectious disease emergency response plan for local health departments

In 2006, the San Francisco Department of Public Health (SFDPH) compiled its Infectious Disease Emergency Response (IDER) plan. The IDER plan described how to integrate local emergency management and...

2012 Sep 17

Dispense Assist online screening system helps Kansas county improve POD throughput, serve vulnerable populations

More than 70 US cities participate in the Cities Readiness Initiative (CRI), which is funded by CDC to develop programs that ensure medication is available to a city's entire population within 48...

 

Whether you are looking for a specific solution, or simply looking for muse to inspire your organization’s emergency preparedness efforts, visiting Public Health Practices – and returning often – will likely pay tremendous dividends.

 

Highly recommended.

»» Read More

Updating Public Health Practices (PHP)

 

 

# 6381

 

 

Every few months I try to highlight the Public Health Practices project (formerly Promising Practices), a freely accessible repository of public health tools and strategies, sponsored by CIDRAP at the University of Minnesota, in partnership with the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO).

 

 

I’ve been remiss in not mentioning them since late last year, especially since they are currently seeking feedback from visitors on how they are doing.

 

After you’ve explored their site, there is a short survey they would appreciate your answering.

 

 

Over the past year Public Health Practices has broadened its original scope to include more than just pandemic response. You’ll find tools and practices that cover a wide range of public health concerns, including chemical, radiological, and natural disasters.

 

 

In addition to the constantly expanding website, there is also a monthly email newsletter you can sign up for.

 

The About Us page provides an overview of the mission of the Public Health Practices website:

 

Features of Public Health Practices include:

• More than 300 public health practices in 9 categories of emergency preparedness and disaster response from state and local health agencies, community-based organizations, and colleges and universities.
• In-depth stories on how state and local projects were created, communications materials in more than 40 languages, and tools like job action sheets and media campaigns.
• Expert reviewers' commentary on a practice's effectiveness, reach, sustainability, feasibility, and transferability. Please note: expert review is only available for a select number of practices.
• A regular e-newsletter featuring our newest practices and other updates from the CIDRAP Public Health Practices staff.
• The ability to search for practices based on geography, available languages, and key topics in preparedness and response.

 

 

If you are interested in starting a community public health, preparedness, or response program - or one for a college or university - a visit to this website could save you and your organization or agency a lot of time, money, and aggravation.

 

Some recent additions to the site include:

 

Recent Practices

Curriculum trains children to act as disaster preparedness ambassadors to their families

 

Guidance helps integrate concerns about sexual violence into the roles and procedures of disaster responders

 

Parochial Armenian schools develop and implement an earthquake preparedness program

 

Framework provides strategies for addressing resource scarcity in hospitals and clinics during a regional response

 

Toolkit paves the way for hospitals to meet children's needs during a disaster

 

Partnership with Civil Air Patrol allows winter transport of emergency medications to Michigan's Upper Peninsula

 

 

Whether you are looking for a specific solution, or simply looking for muse to inspire your organization’s emergency preparedness efforts, visiting Public Health Practices – and returning often – will likely pay tremendous dividends.

 

Highly recommended.

»» Read More

Public Health Practices Update

 

 

# 6002

 

 

Every few months I try to highlight the Public Health Practices project (formerly Promising Practices), a freely accessible repository of public health tools and strategies, sponsored by CIDRAP at the University of Minnesota, in partnership with the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO).  

 

This year Public Health Practices has broadened its original scope to include more than just pandemic response. You’ll find tools and practices that cover a wide range of public health concerns, including chemical, radiological, and natural disasters.

 

 

 

The About Us page provides an overview of the mission of the Public Health Practices website:

 

The mission of Public Health Practices is to serve as a one-stop shop for tools and strategies to respond to the health consequences of disasters and emergencies. Materials made available on the site represent concrete preparedness and response practices from state and local health departments, government agencies at all levels, and colleges and universities.

Features of Public Health Practices include:

• More than 300 public health practices in 9 categories of emergency preparedness and disaster response from state and local health agencies, community-based organizations, and colleges and universities.
• In-depth stories on how state and local projects were created, communications materials in more than 40 languages, and tools like job action sheets and media campaigns.
• Expert reviewers' commentary on a practice's effectiveness, reach, sustainability, feasibility, and transferability. Please note: expert review is only available for a select number of practices.
• A regular e-newsletter featuring our newest practices and other updates from the CIDRAP Public Health Practices staff.
• The ability to search for practices based on geography, available languages, and key topics in preparedness and response.

 

A brief sampling of some of the recent additions to their database include:

 

Recent Content

Recent Practices

Summer heat illness fact sheets in 12 languages help reach limited-English proficient populations

Background Extreme heat is the number one weather-related killer in the United States, claiming, on average, more lives each year than tornadoes, lightning, rain, floods, and hurricanes combined....

In-language resources about winter weather and carbon monoxide address preparedness needs of new immigrant communities

Background While severe winter weather may be an expected challenge for people living in cold climates, new immigrants and recent arrivals can often experience significant difficulty in adapting to...

Dark Site Stores Emergency Communications until Crisis Occurs (CA)

One of the most common and useful tools in any crisis or emergency communication management strategy is a dark web site. This practice is fairly common in the private sector and has been used by...

Partnerships, tools, and tabletop exercise tackle preparedness, continuity of opioid treatment programs during a disaster (WA)

Background Every day in the United States, more than 1 million patients, on average, receive drug abuse treatment at some 13,500 outpatient, medication-assisted, and/or residential/inpatient...

Evaluation of flooding response leads to data- and image-based preparedness and response plan

Background Natural disasters can be sudden and unpredictable, causing various levels of damage to affected communities. Even public health agencies with a strong background in preparedness may have...

Influenza education program increases surveillance capacity among rural, limited-English-speaking agricultural communities

Background Rural agricultural areas in the United States are key regions for influenza surveillance in wild and domesticated animals such as pigs and birds. Public health and veterinary agencies...

Interactive, educational materials provide guidance for staying safe following a volcanic eruption

Background Preparing for volcanic (and related seismic) activity is an issue that affects a small number of states, but volcanic eruptions can also be accompanied by a variety of hazards experienced...

 

 

If you are interested in starting a community public health, preparedness, or response program - or one for a college or university - rather than re-inventing the wheel, a visit to this website could save you and your organization or agency a lot of time, money, and aggravation.

»» Read More

CIDRAP: Public Health Practices

 

 

 

# 5627

 

On a number of occasions over the past several years I’ve written about the combined CIDRAP/ASTHO  pandemic preparedness project called  Promising Practices that has collected and made available community pandemic initiatives from all across the country.

 

Recently, the Promising Practices website has evolved from being primarily pandemic-centric to dealing with a wider spectrum of public health preparedness issues. 

 

 

The site is now renamed Public Health Practices, and while the concept is the same – to provide an open repository of preparedness projects -  the range of information has grown considerably.

 

 

The home page of the website lists some of these changes:

 

Public Health Practices has a new look, additional categories in preparedness and response, and easier ways for you to search for what you need. Please visit the About Us page to learn about this project's history and mission and find out about several new features that meet the address of public health's most pressing problems.

Some Highlights of Public Health Practices Include

• Nine topic areas relevant to public health's vital emergency preparedness activities
• A variety of resource types, ranging from stories on how practices were developed to job action sheets, interactive handbooks, and educational presentations
• Materials in more than 40 languages

 

 

There are now more than 330 public health practices listed, a number will undoubtedly increase over time.

 

A small sampling of some recent additions includes:

Recent Practices

Leaving No One Behind: Communicating with Special Populations (CA)

A partnership was developed between the San Mateo County Health Department and community-based organizations (CBOs) that have existing relationships with special populations. The process included...

Emergency Risk Communication for Public Health Professionals (Region: AK, ID, MT, OR, WA, WY)

Emergency Risk Communication for Public Health Professionals is an online course that presents fundamental training concepts for communicating with the media and community in the event of a public...

Pandemic Influenza Planning Kit for Outpatient Providers (GA)

The Pandemic Influenza Planning Kit for Outpatient Providers is a clear and concise guide that nicely summarizes key information. The materials represent an integration of trusted and useful...

Pandemic Flu School Action Kit (CA)

A downloadable action kit for K-12 schools provides a variety of communications tools for use before, during, and after a pandemic. The sample letters for parents discuss school activities that may...

Reopening Shuttered Hospitals To Expand Surge Capacity (National)

Shuttered hospitals possess the structural attributes that may allow them to provide better care, as opposed to other proposed alternate care sites within a community. This lengthy guidance...

Development of a Triage Protocol for Critical Care during an Influenza Pandemic (Ontario, Canada)

A collaborative, evidence-based triage protocol was designed for use as a decision-making tool when a critical care system becomes overwhelmed. The system of triage is applicable to patients with...

 

 

If you are interested in starting a community public health, preparedness, or response program - or one for a college or university - rather than re-inventing the wheel, a visit to this website could save you and your organization or agency a lot of time, money, and aggravation.

»» Read More