The Public Health Practices Repository

 

# 8719

 

While I can’t tell you where the next big public health or community crisis in this country will be, or what event will cause it, I can tell you that the ability of local emergency operations, EMS, healthcare organizations, businesses, schools, and community and faith-based organizations to respond  - in concert with federal and state authorities – will determine just how big of a negative impact it will ultimately have.

 

Which is why I try to highlight the Public Health Practices project - a freely accessible repository of public health tools and strategies, sponsored by CIDRAP at the University of Minnesota– once or twice a year.

 

Their website describes themselves as:

 

About us

Public Health Practices (PHP) is a curated compendium of tools, strategies, and downloadables created by US health agencies and partners to prepare for and respond to the health consequences of disasters and emergencies.

Practitioners can search the one-stop shop of real-world resources by hazard, strategy, partners, geography, groups being served, agency, tool, language, and key word. PHP encourages peer-to-peer exchange of practices by accepting submissions to the site, showcasing examples in theme-based email newsletters, and hosting social media channels for practitioners.

Public Health Practices features:

• More than 400 practices addressing a wide range of hazards
• Successful coalitions and details about what made them possible
• In-depth stories on how projects were created
• Communication materials in 40 languages to download or adapt
• A robust search tool that allows users to apply filters to narrow results as needed
• A simple submissions process to encourage practitioners to share their work
• Peer-to-peer information exchange via social media (Twitter and, soon, LinkedIn)

 

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

 

 

 

From Bioterrorism to Volcanoes, Public Health Practices has you covered. You’ll find ample resources, including toolkits, outlines, and training modules available.   

 

The task of creating emergency & disaster plans for agencies, organizations, communities, and businesses can be a daunting one, particularly now when resources (read: time, money, & personnel) are in short supply.  Fortunately, you don’t have to be a pioneer, since others have gone before you and are willing to share what they’ve learned.

 

In addition to the constantly expanding website, there is also a monthly email newsletter you can sign up for. You’ll find an incredible amount of great content on this site, so pack a lunch and plan to stay all day.

 

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.

 

You can also follow Public Health Practices on twitter  at @PHPractices. 

 

Highly recommended.

NPM13: You Don’t Have To Start From Scratch

 

 

 

Note: This is day 10 of National Preparedness Month.  Follow this year’s campaign on Twitter by searching for the #NPM and #NPM13 hash tags.

This month, as part of NPM13, I’ll be rerunning some edited and updated older preparedness essays, along with some new ones.

# 7748

 

The task of creating emergency & disaster plans for agencies, organizations, communities, and businesses can be a daunting one, particularly now when resources (read: time, money, & personnel) are in short supply.  Fortunately, you don’t have to be a pioneer, since others have gone before you and are willing to share what they’ve learned.

 

The access them is through the Public Health Practices  project -  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).

 

Here you’ll find more than 400 practices gleaned from across the nation, geared to specific emergencies, vendors, and audiences.  .

 

While originally pandemic influenza centric, over the past two years Public Health Practices has broadened its 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.

 

From Bioterrorism to Volcanoes, Public Health Practices has you covered

You’ll find ample resources, including toolkits, outlines, and training modules available.   

 

As an example, last month in WHO: Homecare Advice For Mild MERS-CoV Cases  I featured a pandemic influenza home treatment guide from the Santa Clara County Health Department, California which is available on CIDRAP’s Public Health Practices website.

The Home Care Guide provides the public with a comprehensive description of how to care for sick family members at home during a pandemic. It includes lists of emergency supplies, guidelines on how to limit the spread of disease at home, instructions on how to take care of sick household members safely and effectively and basic information about pandemic flu. This guide was created prior to the emergence of novel H1N1 flu virus in 2009. Therefore, the fact sheets located under the attachments tab in the guide contain some generalized information about pandemics, as well as information about avian influenza that may need to be updated. The guide is available in English, Spanish, and Vietnamese.

 

And in June, in PHP: Dealing With Chronic Illness During A Disaster, their June email update – just in time for the Atlantic Hurricane Season – contained links to toolkits designed for people who must deal with chronic illnesses during times of disaster, including emergency responders.

 

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.

 

You can also follow Public Health Practices on twitter  at  @PHPractices.

PHP: Dealing With Chronic Illness During A Disaster

 

# 7365

 

Sometimes the most difficult part of a natural disaster comes in the aftermath – where for days or weeks large populations can be without vital services like power, potable water, emergency services, and medical care.

While everyone needs to have the basic emergency supplies to sustain them (and their families) for 3 to 10 days, people with chronic medical conditions need to take additional steps to help ensure their safety.

 

Since we live in hurricane country, while my father was still alive I made sure he always had a month’s supply of all of his heart, blood pressure, & pain medications set aside. Since he used an oxygen concentrator (which requires electricity to run), we also kept a large `hurricane’ oxygen bottle in reserve.

 

These are basic steps that anyone dependent upon Rx medications or oxygen need to consider in their emergency plans. 

 

But for some chronic illnesses (like insulin dependent diabetes or end-stage renal failure) a week or two without electrical power or serious disruptions in a community’s ability to provide medical services - can provide additional challenges.

 

To the rescue today comes CIDRAP’s Public Health Practices, a freely accessible repository of public health tools and strategies,which I try to highlight every couple of months.

 

Public Health Practices is sponsored by CIDRAP at the University of Minnesota, in partnership with the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO).

 

Their June email update – just in time for the Atlantic Hurricane Season – contains links to toolkits designed for people who must deal with chronic illnesses during times of disaster, including emergency responders. 

 

A few examples to get you started.

 

 

KIDNEY DISEASE

Dialysis machine: Wisconsin's Technical Colleges

DIET PLANS

Missouri developed diet plans, checklists, and preparedness resources for people who can't access dialysis during a disaster. View details.

 

COMMUNICATION WITH RESPONDERS

Florida created a guide to help first responders understand the needs of people with kidney disease and other chronic conditions. View details.

 

ALTERNATIVES TO DIALYSIS

The Trans-Atlantic Renal Council in New Jersey assembled a comprehensive plan for functioning without dialysis during an emergency. View details.

DIABETES 

SUPPLIES AND GUIDANCE

A New Jersey healthcare system developed supply lists and tip sheets for diabetes safety and foot care during a disaster. View details.

Insulin syringe: Yusmar Yahaya

VACCINE ALLOCATION
The Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe in Minnesota allocated scarce H1N1 vaccine to assure that people with diabetes were immunized. View details.

The depth and variety of resources here is truly impressive, and it grows each and every month. You’ll find tools and practices that cover a wide range of public health concerns, including chemical, radiological, and natural disasters.

 

 

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.

 

You can also follow Public Health Practices on twitter  at  @PHPractices.

 

As always, highly recommended.

Updating Public Health Practices (PHP)

 

 

# 7180

 

Although it is far too soon to know what, if any, public health impact the H7N9 virus will have here in the United States, it is never too soon for healthcare organizations, businesses, and community and faith-based organizations to review, update, or implement new emergency plans.

 

Which is why, every few months I highlight the Public Health Practices project, 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. You’ll find an incredible amount of great content on this site, so pack a lunch and plan to stay all day.

 

Some highlights include:

 

Features of Public Health Practices include:

• 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.

We've got tools!

Need an idea, tool, story, strategy, or reality-check
in a hurry? Our speed-read newsletter is a curated
list of practices on a theme, pulled directly for our site.

Here's what we've got:

HEALTHCARE

• Altered standards of care - March 2013
• Pediatric partnerships - September 2012
• Pharmacists - January 2012
• Protecting healthcare workers - April 2013
• Other partnerships - May 2012

NON-HEALTHCARE PARTNERS & GROUPS

• Community-based & businesses - June 2012
• Faith-based - March 2013
• Public safety - April 2013
• Tribal - January 2013

POPULATIONS

• Children - April 2012
• Functional needs - February 2012
• Geographically isolated/rural - February 2013
• Pregnancy - October 2012

EMERGENCIES & DISASTERS

• Flooding & wildfires - March 2012
• Influenza: seasonal & pandemic - February 2013
• Natural disasters - November 2011
• Radiation - December 2012
• Storms - November 2012
• Winter hazards - December 2011

GOVERNMENT FRAMEWORKS

• CDC's 15 Capabilities - August 2012
• Cities Readiness Initiatives - January 2013

COMMUNICATION

• Public opinion - July 2012

 

You can also follow Public Health Practices on twitter  at @PHPractices. 

 

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.