Upcoming Webinar : NACCHO – Los Alamos National Laboratory, Tuesday, May 5th 3:00-4:00 PM EST

Please join us for this exciting upcoming webinar with Dr. Alina Deshpande from Los Alamos National Laboratory on new tools they are developing to enhance surveillance efforts at the local public health level.

Title: Tools and Apps to Enhance Situational Awareness for Global Disease Surveillance

Date & Time: Tuesday, May 5th 3:00 PM – 4:00 PM EST

Description: Situational awareness is important for early warning and early detection of infectious disease outbreaks and occurs at both local and global scales. Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) is developing a suite of tools to provide actionable information and knowledge for enhanced situational awareness during an unfolding event. These tools are available to the global disease surveillance community through the LANL biosurveillance gateway (http://bsv.lanl.gov, under “resources” tab) or through independent links provided with each tool description;

The Biosurveillance Resource Directory (BRD, http://brd.lanl.gov): A tool to facilitate obtaining disease surveillance information. Contains information on disease surveillance resources worldwide

The Biosurveillance Analytics Resource Directory (BARD, http://bard.lanl.gov/brd): A tool to rapidly select appropriate epidemiological models for infectious disease prediction, forecasting and monitoring. Currently includes information on models for Malaria, Cholera, Influenza, Dengue and Foot and Mouth Disease.

The Surveillance Window app (SWAP, http://swap.lanl.gov): An app to provide context and a frame of reference for disease surveillance information on an unfolding event, through matching of user input to a library of global historical disease outbreaks

Registration Link:

http://naccho.adobeconnect.com/test422/event/registration.html

Speaker Information: Dr. Alina Deshpande

Dr. Alina Deshpande is a senior scientist and team leader in the Defense Systems and Analysis Division at Los Alamos National Laboratory. She has a B.S. in Microbiology and holds M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Biomedical Sciences from the University of New Mexico-School of Medicine. Her research work is in the areas of experimental biology and information science. Specifically, the development of clinical diagnostics and decision support tools for infectious disease surveillance.

NACCHO Webinar – Disaster Epidemiology 101 – Thursday April 30, 2015

On Thursday, April 30, 2015 from 1:00-2:30pm ET, NACCHO will be hosting a webinar entitled: Disaster Epidemiology 101.  With every natural or man-made disaster, public health officials, incident commanders, and policy makers need health data to make decisions, allocate resources, provide situational awareness of the health of the affected community, and to determine the adequacy of the response. Disaster epidemiology can provide this data by using core public health components such as rapid needs assessments (i.e. CASPER), health surveillance, epidemiologic research and tracking or registries. The purpose of this learning session is to provide an overview of the role of disaster epidemiology and to engage attendees in a meaningful discussion of surveillance during recent events, such as the recent CASPER in Texas.

After the webinar, participants will be able to:

1. Define disaster epidemiology and its role in pre-disaster, disaster, and recovery phases.
2. Demonstrate how disaster epidemiology methods have been applied in recent events.
3. Describe how disaster epidemiology tools were used in the CASPER in Texas.

The presenters include Ashley Conley, MS, CPH, Michael Heumann, MPH, MA, Jennifer Kiger, MPH, and Kelly Johnson, MS.

Please use the link below to register:

http://naccho.adobeconnect.com/e18pckg22c6/event/event_info.html

Once registered, you will receive an email with a link to access the webinar.

Dial In: 866-740-1260

Password: 5074283

ASTHO-NACCHO Webinar – Exploring the Use of Electronic Health Records to Support Tobacco Cessation and Million Hearts

Exploring the Use of Electronic Health Records to Support Tobacco Cessation and Million Hearts

Date: Monday, April 13, 2015, 1:00-2:30 PM ET

Cigarette smoking is the leading cause of preventable disease and death in the United States. The use of electronic health records can play an important role in improving health by supporting tobacco cessation efforts.

This webinar, hosted by the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO) and the National Association of County & City Health Officials (NACCHO) will explore and identify opportunities for using electronic health records (EHRs) to improve two of the ABCS of Million Hearts: smoking cessation efforts and improving blood pressure control. Furthermore, we will provide an overview and national perspective of EHR use, state and local examples, and available resources to support these efforts.

The intended audience for this webinar includes state health agencies, local health agencies and community based clinics.

Register at: https://cc.readytalk.com/r/c1xclol8vxxo&eom

Webinar: Public Health Information Supply Chain: Findings and Implications

Webinar: Public Health Information Supply Chain: Findings and Implications

Please join Vivian Singletary and Juneka Rembert of the Public Health Informatics Institute (PHII)Tuesday, February 12th, from 2:00 -3:00 pm EST for a webinar on Public Health Information Exchange capacity in the states of California and Massachusetts

In order to help public health organizations better understand the process for exchanging notifiable disease data, The Public Health Informatics Institute (PHII), hosted by the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO), will present a webinar on their recent project, titled “Public Health Information Exchange Capacity.” This project sought to document the information exchange process involved in sharing notifiable disease data from local level, to the state level, and finally to the CDC. The findings of this report will help public health departments:

• Understand the current state of notifiable disease data exchange in different states:
• Learn of the challenges to disease data exchange for both State and Local Health Departments:
• Receive recommendations for improve the notifiable disease data exchange process.

This project also sought to determine the level of effort needed to gather and report notifiable disease data.

Please email any questions about this webinar to Matthew DeLeon at mdeleon@naccho.org

National Association of County and City Health Officials Names Dr. LaMar Hasbrouck as the New Executive Director

The National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) Board of Directors is pleased to announce the appointment of LaMar Hasbrouck, M.D., M.P.H., as its new Executive Director, effective February 10, 2015.  NACCHO's mission is to be a leader, partner, catalyst, and voice with local health departments working towards a vision of health, equity, and security for all people in their communities. "Dr. Hasbrouck's experience working at all levels of governmental public health practice along with credentials in public health and medicine are especially appropriate at a time when the public health and healthcare sectors are transforming in response to political, economic, and social pressures," said Georgia Heise, Dr.P.H., NACCHO's President. "NACCHO's continuing emphasis on assuring and representing local and foundational governmental public health capacity and services remains in good hands." Dr. Hasbrouck was most recently the Director of the Illinois Department of Public Health.  Illinois has about 100 local governmental public health departments that range from among the nation's largest to some of the smallest in size. As a Senate-confirmed member of the Governor's cabinet, Dr. Hasbrouck managed the department responsible for protecting the health and improving the lives of the state's 13 million residents through the prevention and control of disease and injury. The Department has two headquarters, seven regional offices, 1,100 staff, a budget of $600 million, and more than 200 programs, including vaccinations, food and water safety, dairy and drugs, health facilities licensing and regulation, outbreak investigations, HIV/AIDS drug assistance, collection and evaluation of health statistics, screening newborns for genetic diseases, and programs to meet the special health needs of women. Combined with the efforts of local health departments, these vital programs and services make up the state's public health system, a system that bears major responsibility for the quality of life in Illinois. Among Hasbrouck's achievements as Director, he developed a five-year strategy, implemented various aspects of the Affordable Care Act, applied for voluntary national accreditation by the Public Health Accreditation Board, and built successful partnerships to pass a state cigarette tax increase. In addition, Hasbrouck led the development of statewide blueprints for health workforce development and population health integration, two key initiatives of the Governor's Office for Health Innovation and Transformation. "It is an uncommon privilege to join NACCHO as its next Executive Director," Hasbrouck said. "I am looking forward to working with and being inspired by a diverse Board of Directors, an energized professional staff, and a wide range of colleagues and organizations in the public, private, and non-profit sectors dedicated to transforming the health of the community. I believe that strong local health departments are the backbone for a robust public health enterprise that includes state health departments and federal partners. NACCHO's continued growth in the service of local health departments is therefore critical to the health of the nation." Prior to his appointment as Illinois' 17th Director of Public Health, Dr. Hasbrouck served as the only county official in New York State to lead both the public health and mental health departments in Ulster County. He held positions of increasing responsibility with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), including directing the CDC office in Guyana, South America. He has also served on faculties of medicine and public health. Dr. Hasbrouck is currently a Clinical Associate Professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago School of Public Health and is a Diplomat with the American Board of Internal Medicine.  He is a former Epidemic Intelligence Service Officer at the CDC, Primary Care Health Policy Fellow at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Heath Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). He is also the recipient of numerous awards for his governmental and non-governmental work. Dr. Hasbrouck replaces Robert Pestronk, M.P.H., who served NACCHO for seven years and is retiring next month. About the National Association of County and City Health Officials The National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) represents the nation's 2,800 local governmental health departments. These city, county, metropolitan, district, and tribal departments work every day to protect and promote health and well-being for all people in their communities. For more information about NACCHO, please visit www.naccho.org.

Upcoming NAACHO Webinar – Detecting and Monitoring Disease and Illness Outbreaks

Detecting and Monitoring Disease and Illness Outbreaks 

Data Sources and Systems for Public Health and Emergency Management Officials

Please register for this informative webinar on best practices, lessons learned and resources on how to detect and monitor illness, disease, and syndrome trends and outbreaks. This webinar is hosted by the First Responders Group – US Department of Homeland Security Science And Technology Directorate and co-sponsored by the National Information Sharing Consortium (NISC). Information regarding speakers and registration is below.

Date and Time:

Thursday, October 23, 2014

1:00 PM EDT

Registration Link:

http://bit.ly/register-for-CBW21  

Presenters:Dr. Michael JhungMedical Officer, Influenza Division, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

Dr. Teresa QuituguaDeputy Director, National Biosurveillance Integration Center, Office of Health Affairs
U.S. Department of Homeland Security

LT Cody ThorntonProgram Manager, Division of International Health Security
Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

Upcoming NAACHO Webinar: Health IT & Disaster Preparedness

The National Center for Disaster Medicine and Public Health invites you to join them for their September webinar:

• Topic: “Health IT & Disaster Preparedness”
• Presenter: Dr. Jin Ping Ying, CEO of Addabbo Community Health Center & Jason Pomaski, Assistant Vice President of Technology, Community Health Network
• Day: September 30, 2014
• Time: 1:00 PM ET
• Link: https://ncdmph.adobeconnect.com/_a1137435577/dhit/

This event coincides with the conclusion of National Preparedness Month and is held onNational PrepareAthon! Day. Celebrate the National PrepareAthon! Day by joining us in this interesting and interactive discussion.

PDF Version of the Invitation: Hand Out for Health IT

HIMSS and NACCHO Announce the Public Health and HIE Toolkit

Blog posted sourced from epinformatics.wordpress.com:

NACCHO, in collaboration with the Health Information Management Systems Society, have worked together to create the Public Health & HIE Toolkit. This tool was designed to help public health officials understand, engage, and participate in Health Information Exchange.

“The first priority of local health departments is to make it easier for people to be healthy and safe. Health information technology increases the capacity of local health departments to be able to do that. The new Health Information Exchange (HIE) Toolkit for Public Health will allow local health departments to automatically receive and analyze electronic health data to identify diseases that affect our communities, and it will enable local health departments to improve public health surveillance and response to those diseases,” said Roland Gamache, Ph.D., MBA, Senior Director of Informatics at the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO). “NACCHO was pleased to collaborate with HIMSS on this important resource. We value the partnership role we play with HIE organizations.”

The Toolkit was developed to help public health departments understand:

• What HIE services are and what types of organizations are providing them.

• How a health department might use or support such services.

• How to assess whether the value of participating in HIE will be worthwhile.

Local health departments use heath information to manage the well-being of their communities. This information includes syndromic surveillance, laboratory results, and immunization records. Local health departments are both users and contributors of health data. This toolkit will help local health departments decide the most advantageous way to participate in HIE. The following link will take you to an infographic that explains the relationship between public health and HIE.

“The Public Health & HIE Toolkit includes clear and concise organization and core information. The tools included in it will assist our department in analyzing HIE opportunities for risks and benefits; preparing recommendations for policy and resource allocation and developing needed data use agreements. I anticipate consulting the toolkit over the next few years, as we move toward health information exchange in our community,” said Kathy Cook, Information and Fiscal manager, Lincoln-Lancaster County Health Department.

You can read the full press release on the HIMSS website.

NACCHO – PHII Webinar this Monday, June 23rd “Building Informatics Capacity Through Workforce Development”

Please join NACCHO and PHII this Monday, June 23rd for an exciting webinar on building informatics capacity in local health departments through workforce development!

UPCOMING WEBINAR JUNE 23 BUILDING INFORMATICS CAPACITY THROUGH WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT

Title: Building Informatics Capacity through Workforce Development
Date: June 23, 2014
Time: 3:00- 4:00 PM EDT
Join: Reserve your Webinar seat now: http://naccho.adobeconnect.com/wfdev2014/event/registration.html

Description:
The challenges to building the informatics capabilities of public health agencies are many and varied. A common challenge is related to workforce development activities to recruit, select, hire, train and retain individuals that have the combination of skills and competencies needed by informatics professionals. Some of these challenges are related to establishing competitive salaries, finding individuals with the appropriate skill sets and distinguishing between IT and Informatics positions, skills, knowledge and abilities.

The webinar presentation is intended to:

• Increase awareness of common workforce related challenges to building informatics capability.
• Increase awareness of products and resources that are available to assist local health agency staff to develop informatics position descriptions.
• Provide an opportunity to hear how your colleagues have addressed informatics challenges in their organizations.

In 2013, CDC sponsored an opportunity that supported NACCHO and the Public Health Informatics Institute (PHII) to develop useful tools to assist public health agency staff to address of these issues. As an emerging discipline, the resources to assist public health agencies to establish informatics capacity at an agency level were limited. The partners established a process to draft, review and create example position descriptions for public health agencies to utilize within their organizations to establish informatics positions. These included sample position descriptions for the executive, management, clinical, and professional levels, and a brief description of a professional career ladder that describes the various positions for professionals that seek further career growth. A cross-walk document that links informatics competencies to tasks and duties was also created to assist agencies to develop position descriptions for various types of informatics jobs.