Risk Communication in the Early Stages of the H1N1 (Swine Flu) Alert: How Effective Were State and Local Public Health Departments?

2009 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeanne Ringel ◽  
Elizabeth Trentacost ◽  
Nicole Lurie
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Risk Communication ◽  
Swine Flu ◽  
Health Departments ◽  
Local Public Health ◽  
Public Health Departments ◽  
Early Stages ◽  
State And Local ◽  
Local Public Health Departments

Dissemination of Information About Climate Change by State and Local Public Health Departments: United States, 2019–2020

2020 ◽  
Vol 110 (8) ◽  
pp. 1184-1190 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karen Albright ◽  
Pari Shah ◽  
Melodie Santodomingo ◽  
Jean Scandlyn
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Climate Change ◽  
Web Sites ◽  
Health Department ◽  
Health Departments ◽  
Local Public Health ◽  
Public Health Departments ◽  
Climate Change Information ◽  
State And Local ◽  
Local Public Health Departments

Objectives. To determine if and how state and local public health departments present information about climate change on their Web sites, their most public-facing platform. Methods. We collected data from every functioning state (n = 50), county (n = 2090), and city (n = 585) public health department Web site in the United States in 2019 and 2020. We analyzed data for presence and type of climate-related content and to determine whether there existed clear ways to find climate change information. We analyzed Web sites providing original content about climate change for explanatory or attributional language. Results. Fewer than half (40%) of state health department Web sites, and only 1.6% of county and 3.9% of city Web sites, provided clear ways to find climate change information, whether through provision of original content or links to external agencies’ Web sites. Among Web sites providing original content, 48% provided no explanation of climate change causes. Conclusions. National and global public health associations have identified climate change as a public health emergency, but most state and local public health departments are not delivering that message. These departments must be better supported to facilitate dissemination of reliable, scientific information about climate change and its effects on health.

scholarly journals Development of the Inventory Management and Tracking System (IMATS) to Track the Availability of Public Health Department Medical Countermeasures During Public Health Emergencies

2015 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Liora Sahar ◽  
Guy Faler ◽  
Emil Hristov ◽  
Susan Hughes ◽  
Leslie Lee ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Inventory Management ◽  
Tracking System ◽  
Health Departments ◽  
User Centered Design ◽  
Local Public Health ◽  
Public Health Departments ◽  
Public Health Emergencies ◽  
State And Local ◽  
Local Public Health Departments

Objective: To bridge  gaps identified during the 2009 H1N1 influenza pandemic by  developing a system that provides public health departments improved capability to manage and track medical countermeasures at the state and local levels and to report their inventory levels to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).   Materials and Methods: The CDC Countermeasure Tracking Systems (CTS) program designed and implemented the Inventory Management and Tracking System (IMATS) to manage, track, and report medical countermeasure inventories at the state and local levels. IMATS was designed by CDC in collaboration with state and local public health departments to ensure a “user-centered design approach.” A survey was completed to assess functionality and user satisfaction.Results: IMATS was deployed in September 2011 and is provided at no cost to public health departments. Many state and local public health departments nationwide have adopted IMATS and use it to track countermeasure inventories during public health emergencies and daily operations.  Discussion:  A successful response to public health emergencies requires efficient, accurate reporting of countermeasure inventory levels. IMATS is designed to support both emergency operations and everyday activities. Future improvements to the system include integrating barcoding technology and streamlining user access. To maintain system readiness, we continue to collect user feedback, improve technology, and enhance its functionality.  Conclusion: IMATS satisfies the need for a system for monitoring and reporting health departments’ countermeasure quantities so that decision makers are better informed. The “user-centered design approach” was successful, as evident by the many public health departments that adopted IMATS.

Local Public Health Departments in California

2010 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. e17-e28 ◽  
Author(s):  
Liz Schwarte ◽  
Sarah E. Samuels ◽  
Maria Boyle ◽  
Sarah E. Clark ◽  
George Flores ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Health Departments ◽  
Local Public Health ◽  
Public Health Departments ◽  
Local Public Health Departments

scholarly journals The Effects of Community Size, Control Over Agenda, and Contextual Variables on Zika Virus Preparation of Public Information Officers at Local Public Health Departments

2019 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 97-119 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth Avery
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Public Information ◽  
Size Control ◽  
The United States ◽  
Health Departments ◽  
Community Size ◽  
Local Public Health ◽  
Public Health Departments ◽  
Public Information Officers ◽  
Local Public Health Departments

As Zika emerged as a major global health threat, public information officers (PIOs) at local public health departments across the United States prepared for outbreaks of the virus amid great uncertainty. Using the crisis and risk emergency communication (CERC) model to inform this study, PIOs (n = 226) at public health departments were surveyed to assess how community size, perceived control over health agenda, and other considerations such as resources and federal influences affected their satisfaction with Zika preparedness in their departments. These contextual, indirect factors may moderate planning efforts for Zika and other health emergencies and thus should be considered in crisis management and planning models such as CERC.

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