Journal of public health management and practice : JPHMP
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J Public Health Manag Pract · Sep 2011
Extending the reach: local health department collaboration with community pharmacies in Palm Beach County, Florida for H1N1 influenza pandemic response.
Palm Beach County Health Department (PBCHD) in Florida collaborated with pharmacists, community pharmacies, and pharmacy-based retail health clinics to increase access to influenza prevention through a widespread H1N1 influenza vaccination campaign and to disseminate timely and accurate public health recommendations and information using Flu Ready Cards. Selected pharmacy and store managers were surveyed, before and after distribution of H1N1 vaccine regarding issues facing pharmacists and the public in deciding whether or not to recommend or accept influenza vaccinations. ⋯ The collaborative relationship proved invaluable for distributing, transferring, and administering the H1N1 influenza vaccine, managing access to antivirals, and serving as a vital link to hospitals and other healthcare providers. Pharmacists can be an integral part of the nation's "first line resource" for health and wellness and can extend the reach for public health initiatives. The public-private collaboration between health departments and community pharmacists could improve individual and family readiness, increase access to trained and trusted professionals and strengthen overall preparedness and community resilience.
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J Public Health Manag Pract · Sep 2011
Reliability of a survey tool for measuring consumer nutrition environment in urban food stores.
Despite the increase in the volume and importance of food environment research, there is a general lack of reliable measurement tools. This study presents the development and reliability assessment of a tool for measuring consumer nutrition environment in urban food stores. ⋯ The Food Retail Outlet Survey Tool is a reliable tool for quickly measuring consumer nutrition environment. It can be effectively used by an individual who attended a 30-minute group briefing and practiced with 3 to 4 stores.
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J Public Health Manag Pract · Mar 2011
CrowdED: crowding metrics and data visualization in the emergency department.
Emergency department (ED) crowding metrics were validated in our facility and a new technique of data visualization is proposed. ⋯ The demand value, ED Work Index, and patient reneging are valid measures of crowding in the studied ED, with staff workload rank being an easy, 1-question response. Data visualization may provide the site-specific crowding component analysis needed to guide quality improvement projects to reduce ED crowding and its impact on patient outcome measures.
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J Public Health Manag Pract · Jan 2011
Comparative StudyTwo distinct surveillance methods to track hospitalized influenza patients in New York State during the 2009-2010 influenza season.
To better understand the severity of 2009 H1N1 influenza disease, enhanced surveillance of patients hospitalized with influenza was conducted during the 2009-2010 influenza season in New York State through existing Emerging Infections Program surveillance and a newly established sentinel hospital surveillance program. The 2 surveillance systems were compared to determine consistency across surveillance modalities and reveal the strengths and weaknesses of each to accomplish comprehensive influenza surveillance. ⋯ Although the 2 surveillance systems were complementary, inherent methodologic variations revealed important differences at season conclusion. The lessons learned should be used to determine the best way to allocate resources to meet the needs of future state and national influenza surveillance efforts.
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J Public Health Manag Pract · Jan 2011
Pandemics and health equity: lessons learned from the H1N1 response in Los Angeles County.
Pandemic preparedness and response (as with all public health actions) occur within a social, cultural, and historical context of preexisting health disparities and, in some populations, underlying mistrust in government. Almost 200,000 people received H1N1 vaccine at 109 free, public mass vaccination clinics operated by the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health between October 23, 2009, and December 8, 2009. Wide racial/ethnic disparities in vaccination rates were observed with African Americans having the lowest rate followed by whites. ⋯ Significant political challenges and media coverage focused on equity in vaccination access specifically in the African American population. An important challenge was community-level informal messaging that ran counter to the "official" messages. Finally, we present a partnership strategy, developed in response to the challenges, to improve outreach and build trust and engagement with African Americans in Los Angeles County.