May 2024: Preparedness

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This entry is part 1 of 16 in the series May 2024

The May issue of the Journal of Public Health Management and Practice (JPHMP) focuses on preparedness. Paula Kett and co-authors have contributed an article “Public Health Nurses’ Proficiencies and Training Needs in an Emergency Response: A Cross-Sectional Observational Study.” They performed a cross-sectional survey using data from local health department staff across the United States to address gaps in understanding the public health nursing workforce competencies critical to emergency response. This study highlights the strengths of public health nurses in preparedness.

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Emilie Madsen and colleagues have contributed three research briefs to this issue describing the efforts and innovation of public health agencies and their leaders during the COVID-19 pandemic. They characterize these as “bright spots” of the public health workforce pandemic response. Leadership was found to be an essential quality in prioritizing safe and supportive environments for employees. Using 2021 Public Health Workforce Interests and Needs Survey (PH WINS) data, on-the-job learning was identified as a critical theme. The third brief titled “Teamwork and Collaboration: Bright Spots of Governmental Public Health Employee Reflections on the COVID-19 Response” provides an analysis of teamwork and collaboration during the COVID-19 response among public health workers, again using the PH WINS 2021 survey. Understanding and building on these lessons will enhance future public health responses.

An article titled “Design and Modification of COVID-19 Case Investigation and Contact Interview Scripts Used by Health Departments Throughout the COVID-19 Pandemic” is authored by Penny Loosier of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Findings are presented from a qualitative analysis of case investigation and contact tracing (CI/CT) interview scripts used by 14 health departments. This article describes the evolution of CI/CT interview scripts throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, beginning with the earliest versions in May 2020 through April 2022. Findings show how health departments modified CI/CT interview scripts to adapt to the evolving pandemic. Importantly, these modifications included the addition of content to determine if an individual needed assistance connecting to additional supports such as social services, translation services, or immediate medical help. Lessons learned from the development, modification, and adaptation of CI/CT interview scripts will inform faster response to large-scale infectious disease outbreaks in the future.

Advocacy skills training in schools and programs of public health is critically needed to tackle the nation’s public health challenges. Glenn E. Schneider, currently pursuing his DrPH at the University of Illinois Chicago, has authored an article “Charting the Advocacy Landscape: A Qualitative Content of Syllabi in Public Health Graduate Education.” He analyzed 98 course syllabi submitted to the Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH) between 2019 and 2021. Syllabi were examined for their compliance with the CEPH advocacy competency requirement.  Advocacy courses were found to cover policy, coalition-building, health care delivery, community organizing, and media advocacy skills. David Jernigan, of the Boston University School of Public Health, contributes an accompanying article “Commentary on Schneider et al., “Charting the Advocacy Landscape: A Qualitative Content Analysis of Syllabi in Public Health Graduate Education.”

The opening commentary by Linda Landesman and colleagues is titled “Peacebuilding Through Cooperation in Health Care and Public Health Between Israel and Palestine.” It recommends cooperative projects in conflict settings serving as unofficial diplomacy for peacebuilding. This can be especially important during periods where official relations are difficult or absent. Health is one of many areas where peacebuilding can occur. Examples of these efforts between Israel and Palestine were published in a special issue of JPHMP in July 1997. The attack by Hamas on Israel on October 7, 2024, with the capture of 250 hostages, was a horrid atrocity. Peacebuilding with a ceasefire as called for by President Biden, release of the hostages, and necessary relief of the horrendous situation in Gaza is imperative.

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About the Author

Lloyd F. Novick
Lloyd F. Novick, MD, MPH, is Professor Emeritus of the Department of Public Health at the Brody School of Medicine, East Carolina University. Previously, he was chair of this Department. He has served as the Commissioner of Health and Secretary for Human Services of Vermont, Director of Health Services for Arizona, and Director of the Office of Public Health for New York State. Previous academic positions include Professor and Director of the Preventive Medicine Program for SUNY Upstate Medical University, Professor and Chair of Epidemiology at the University of Albany School of Public Health, and Clinical Professor and Director of the Teaching Program in Epidemiology and Public Health at the University of Vermont, College of Medicine. He is the Founding Editor and Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Public Health Management and Practice. He is also editor of five books, including Public Health Administration: Principles for Population-Based Management; Public Health Issues in Disaster Preparedness; Community-Based Prevention Programs that Work; Public Health Leaders Tell Their Stories; and Health Problems in the Prison Setting. He is past president of the Association of Teachers of Prevention and Research (APTR) and the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO). He has received a number of national awards, including Special Recognition Award, American College of Preventive Medicine (2005); Duncan Clark Award, Association of Teachers of Preventive Medicine (2003); Yale University Distinguished Service Award (2003); Excellence in Health Administration, American Public Health Association (2001); and the Arthur T. McCormack Award, Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (1992). He is a graduate of Colgate University (BA), New York University (MD), and Yale University (MPH).

May 2024

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